By Erwin Ong
Organizers of the BNP Paribas Open, held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Southern California, made enhancements to the grounds that benefits both players and fans. Most notable of these changes was the installation of Hawkeye replay technology on all eight match courts. Since Hawkeye was introduced in 2006, tournaments – even majors like the U.S. and Australian Opens – only added it to their stadium courts. This incongruous experience of playing a Hawkeye-equipped court one day and a non-equipped court on the next put everyone at a disadvantage: only players and fans on a stadium court could use Hawkeye, both to challenge a chair umpire’s decision (player) and to cheer in anticipation of whether the player was correct to challenge the call (fans). “Making it available on all courts will create consistency, and is something we hope more tournaments embrace in the future,” said Andy Roddick of these improvements.
The practice courts also received makeovers: the “show courts” – where the likes of Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, and Novak Djokovic can practice while adoring fans watch on – now have improved and expanded seating. Lights were also installed to allow for nighttime practice sessions on four courts. And around the grounds there are three information towers displaying the players’ practice schedules. While this has some downsides – some fans staked out front-row seats for over an hour in the mid-day sun to watch Rafael Nadal practice – the fans now have better control of their day on site; where they would have only chanced upon their favorite player doing drills, now they can guarantee themselves that experience. Additionally, this gives more obscure players – the “Ovas” of the tour – a chance to be recognized and gain a following with fans able to match names to faces and forehands.
The changes at the tournament reflect a larger trend in tennis organizations evolving their brands: at the WTA, a new logo earlier this year and a new domain (www.wtatennis.com) without ties to particular sponsor; beer brand Corona Extra began a five-and-a-half-year partnership with the ATP Tour in the middle of 2010.
At the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the Corona Extra brand has also provided a renovation of the viewing areas outside the main stadium. The site’s main bar, now called the “Corona Beach House”, features a patio-style bar in a beach hut, situated to face an expanded video wall attached to Stadium Court. Up until this year’s tournament, that wall had broadcast the match happening inside the Stadium Court. Beginning this year, because of all the infrastructure changes, it also displays feeds from two additional courts.
And all these projects, green-lit by current event owner (and Oracle CEO) Larry Ellison, are not without reward: attendance is up 2% through the second Wednesday of the tournament, with 255,966 tickets sold. Already there is buzz about what improvements will be made for the 2012 tournament, including the possibility of including a mixed doubles event.
