For Those with Grounds Passes – By Craig Cignarelli

Written by: Staff on 15th March 2013

For Those with Grounds Passes - By Craig Cignarelli |

California’s Interstate 10 snakes its way through Indian Casinos and fields of windmills. You pass sunning lizards and shoe outlets and at least three In ‘N’ Out Burgers on the road from LA to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. With its exoskeleton rising up from the sand, the stadium sends echoes of players practicing for the day’s entertainment. This is the BNP Paribas, Charlie Pasarell’s brainchild and billionaire Larry Ellison’s gift to the tennis world.

Once a $50,000 challenger, the event now plays host to the globe’s greatest tennis players. This week, the tournament opened its newly-painted gates to ticket holders and for the next fourteen days, offers an incredible tennis experience. I was fortunate enough to scrounge up a credential this weekend, so here’s the lowdown:

As you enter the West Gate, the nearby practice field hosts zero body-fat athletes performing Cirque de Soleil-ish stretches and gazelle-like sprints. Several players battle in a pick-up soccer game and based on the hooliganism, Western Europe is dominating.

On occasion, a roar emanates from the stadium, and if you run quickly enough, you can catch a replay of the point on the 70-foot TV outside. Surrounded by hundreds of sunscreen-slathered fans, who sip lemonade (some add vodka from their purses) and sport no tan lines, one can cheer for matches on seven different screens. On their way to the court, players pass this throng of patrons. Some even wave from their chauffeured golf carts that whiz by with the sort of high-speed enthusiasm one might expect from old timers who’ve overdosed on the afternoon’s Viagra. Although the vendor food is a bit pricey, tickets to the first weekend of this event are sold out. That’s right, first round matches are sold out. That’s what happens when California loses all of its other professional tennis tournaments – read San Jose and the LA OPEN.

If you can navigate your way around the fidgety bathroom lines and make your way over to the practice courts, you can sit court-side to watch the world’s Top 3 prepare for their matches. On the warm-up court, Federer uses his racquet like a ginsu knife, dicing and slicing tennis balls with the sort of reckless abandon that suggests he could have had a career as a Samurai. Rafa looks more like a cowboy out there, lassoing finishes and sporting the flowing mane that makes women swoon and men envious. Djoko though, moves robotically through his workouts, ripping crosscourts with his partner until the ball seems to bleed. Presumably Murray is either hitting elsewhere or catching a few inspirational minutes of Braveheart on the tellie.

As for the tennis, well, there are plenty of other writers who will tell you what happened on the courts. I’m on my way to the suites for some salmon and champagne. If I sit high enough, maybe I’ll catch one of those autographed balls after the match.

Topics: Andy Murray, BNP Paribas tennis news, Craig Cignarelli, Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Novak Djokovic, Sports, Tennis News