• Indian Wells tournament, often considered the 5th unofficial Grand Slam of the circuit, opens the American tour in California
  • 20 minutes tell you behind the scenes of the first days of a unique tournament, despite the absences of Djokovic and Nadal.

From our special envoy,

The central alley lined with palm trees and the sun already heating up by mid-morning set the tone: this Indian Wells tournament smells like a holiday. First stage of the "sunshine double" before Miami, the Masters 1000 BNP Paribas Open, which the organizers like to present as a "5th Grand Slam tournament", sees the stars of the ATP and WTA tours battle until next Sunday in this oasis of the Californian desert. With winners pocketing $1.26 million.

Indian Wells, little piece of paradise on earth 🌴☀️
Some Californian images to brighten this end of winter. pic.twitter.com/nt1lEYUOOQ

— Philippe Berry (@ptiberry) March 11, 2023

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"Madam, your outfit and this car are banging!" compliments the VIP parking assistant, while a woman at an age frozen by botox and fillers gets off a Mercedes AMG SUV that must flirt with $ 150,000. Located close to Palm Springs and 2h30 from Los Angeles, Indian Wells remains a place frequented by the wealthiest.

Champagne-tequila cocktail at 33 dollars

The tournament, which struggles to fill the stands during the first days, as at Roland-Garros, remains affordable. Day passes start at $40, and $60 to access the center court of Stadium 1, the second largest outdoor in the world – behind Flushing Meadows – with 16,100 seats. But the organizers are remaking the icing on the food and drinks, with the burger-fries at $ 21 and the champagne-tequila cocktail at $ 33, which is sipped on the green island of Moët & Chandon. "How much is the cabana?" ask two friends. Paradise has a price: a bottle for 150 dollars, four times what you pay in the supermarket. "You can afford it," laugh two sexagenarians as they empty their glasses, while the temperature (already) exceeds 26 ° C. Fortunately, sunscreen is free in the infirmary, with a multi-liter can self-service.

In the aisles, we meet many retirees, like Jeff and Valerie, who come every year to escape the end of the Toronto winter. "Hotels are a little more affordable at the beginning than in the second week," says the husband. Everything is relative. As at the Coachella festival, which is a month away, rooms cost $800 a night at Parker, a bucolic boutique hotel, and $200 at Motel 6. With the risk of ending up in a smoking room or facing a neighbor in underpants in front of his open door.

Relaxed players

With the absences of Nadal, injured, and Djokovic, unvaccinated, the men's draw looks like a next gen, with an average age of less than 22 between Alcaraz, Tsitsipas, Rudd, Rune and Auger-Aliassime. They hope to dethrone the defending champion, American Taylor Fritz. The world 5th can measure his popularity in front of a horde of children who ask him for autographs as soon as he appears. Then it was the turn of the world number 1, Iga Swiatek.

A little further, you have to elbow to approach the fence of one of the twenty training grounds to see... Richard Gasquet before his elimination in the second round against Sinner. The Biterrois remains very appreciated by tennis connoisseurs, like Mark, who asks us if Arthur Son – who is not in Indian Wells, is "the real deal" of the future for French tennis. Emma Raducanu is in high demand for selfies, two years after her victory at the US Open.

To walk in paradise is to take full eyes with the sun setting behind the snow-capped mountains overlooking the desert. In the light of dusk, two players think they are Neymar and juggle on the warm-up field. A young man with a teenage smile shows why he hesitated between tennis and American football, swinging a 40-meter warhead with clinical precision. It was the powerful left-hand man of revelation of the year Ben Shelton, 20, who reached the quarterfinals in Melbourne despite never leaving the American university fields.

Indian Wells is also a certain idea of etiquette and protocol, with spectators often being called to order on the small courts when the players are ready. On the center, at night, Andy Murray, after an endless battle at 40-40 against Etcheverry, finally takes the advantage. An American yells "Finish Him!" like in Mortal Kombat or wrestling. Unforgiving paradise.

  • Sport
  • Tennis
  • Indian wells
  • California
  • USA