Snowmageddon. Snowpocalypse. Ice storm. Wintry mix. These are a few of the relatively unprecedented terms that have defined this winter in Atlanta. The city tried to brave the first wave of weather in late January and to say it failed miserably would be an understatement. Lessons were learned the hard way, so they city just shut itself down for the second onslaught in mid-February and waited it out.
There will be no such problems in Indian Wells, California during the BNP Paribas Open. Even nights, which have been known to be on the chilly side by west-coast standards, will seem balmy by comparison. As for the desert heat of the day, anyone making the trek from Atlanta—or more treacherous winter locations such as the northeast—won’t be able to get enough of it.
But enough of the weather; Indian Wells never fails to deliver in that department. The 2014 installment of what is already considered by players, media, and fans to be arguably the best tournament on tour will feature some never-before-seen additions.
Joining an already-splendid venue is the brand new Stadium 2, which has a capacity of 8,000. An 18,000 square-foot Tennis Garden Village will also enhance the fan experience, as will increased seating on the outer courts and practice courts. Moreover, the grounds will also feature a new grand entrance from Washington St. plus 2,000 more paved parking spots. Video walls and information towers throughout the tennis garden will keep fans up to speed with all the happenings more efficiently than ever.
The new Stadium 2 will be home to three high-ended restaurants, including the brainchild of world-famous chef Nobu Matsuhisa. What could be better than watching the best tennis players in the world while dining on the internationally-acclaimed Japanese cuisine of Nobu? And don’t forget about Piero’s Pizza Vino and the Chop House, which are also on Stadium 2’s menu.
Yes, it’s safe to say Oracle CEO and tournament owner Larry Ellison is up to his old tricks of stopping at nothing. He had already developed the BNP Paribas Open into the only event on the ATP World Tour to use the challenge system on every single court. Not even the four Grand Slam’s have followed Ellison’s innovative lead. Now he is taking his Masters 1000 tournament to even greater heights, further out-kicking its competition.
There’s a reason why tournament higher-ups anticipate last year’s record-setting total attendance of 382,000 to be shattered by a 400,000 mark. Based on what Indian Wells has to offer this time around, 400,000 may be a conservative estimate.
Topics: 10sballs, Atp World Tour, BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News
From weather, to technology, to food, Indian Wells 2014 is the total package by Ricky Dimon – http://t.co/ck50G8GVB9 #IndianWells #tennis
From weather, to technology, to food, Indian Wells 2014 is the total package http://t.co/h4f0wUP1kF #tennis