Indian Wells has become a tennis mecca with the annual BNP Paribas tournament. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Power and speed. Anticipation and preparation. Strength and finesse. All are required to be an elite tennis player.

For three days six of us (five from Chico, one from Oregon) descended upon the Southern California desert to witness professional tennis at its best.

Carlos Alcaraz on one of the practice courts. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Often called the fifth grand slam, the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden has grown from a podunk tournament in 1976 to what it is today.

It had several homes in the Coachella Valley before the current site opened in 2000.

Darla, Cleo and Kae at the Indian Wells tournament. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

First it was an all men’s tournament, with women joining in 1987—though they didn’t play at the same time. The WTA (women) and ATP (men’s) tours combined their events in 1996.

Sponsors seemed to change almost annually until French banking group BNP Paribas came on board in 2009. The current five-year contract runs through 2029.

2009 was the same year Larry Ellison bought the tennis facility and the tournament.

Ben Shelton contorts his body to deliver a serve. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Friends who have been coming to Indian Wells for years talk of how it’s changed, how it’s grown, how many more people there are. This was my first time at this tournament. It was awesome. I’m not sure I’d change a thing—except maybe lower the food prices—they are worse than the San Francisco Giants ballpark.

Stefanos Tsitsipas practices before a match. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

I got to share the experience with my mom, who introduced me to tennis when I was a kid and took me to several professional tournaments, as well as a childhood friend who used to play the sport, two current tennis friends from Chico, and a friend of theirs who I hope becomes a friend of mine.

Early in the tournament it’s possible to experience excellent tennis without going into one of the two main stadiums. A grounds pass will do that for you. It also gets you into the upper section of stadium 2.

Tommy Paul serves to Cam Norrie. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Day 1 (March 8) we had a grounds pass. Jasmine Paolini was someone on my “I really want to see” list. The 5-foot-4 dynamo did not disappoint as she beat Iva Jovic in three sets.

There’s something about watching professional tennis in person that is so much more impressive than viewing it on TV. Part of it is seeing the whole court, not just what the cameras are focused on. It’s witnessing the point unfold. It’s appreciating the court coverage by the players—the running from one side of the court to the other and back again, then to the net and leaping for an overhead. It’s understanding how the sun is affecting the service toss and overheads. It’s feeling the roar or even silence of the stadium—not just hearing it.

Even without a seat in a main stadium fans can watch all the action. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

The next two days we had excellent seats in the 8,000-seat stadium 2 that opened in 2014.

The capacity is modest compared to stadium 1 which seats 16,102, making it the second largest tennis stadium in the world behind Arthur Ashe Stadium (23,771) in New York.

Jessica Pegula fires off a serve. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

This is where Madison Keys was playing. I last saw her in person in 2015 at the Bank of the West tournament in the Bay Area. Ten years later and she’s still a favorite. The power this woman has is astonishing. Oh, to have that forehand or backhand.

Madison Keys strikes her signature forehand. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Twenty-two year old Ben Shelton has been a pro since 2022. The raw power he has is incredible. A 150 mph serve—wow, just wow. I can’t even imagine being on the other side of that. I’d be swinging long after the ball girl picked it up.

Watching players practice was another treat. It’s often an opportunity to see players closer up than any stadium allows. If only they and their coaches were miked to gain insight into their preparations. It would be like a free lesson for the rest of us.