Welcome To 2023 In Tennis Paradise! With the stage set for this year’s BNP Paribas Open, check out a special preview of this year’s tournament with 23 Key Things you need to know for the 2023 BNP Paribas Open.

1.The first (combined) Masters 1000 season…The 2023 BNP Paribas Open is the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the season and the first tournament of this level to feature both the world’s best men & women at the same event. The WTA held their first 1000 event in February, which was won by Barbora Krejcikova.

2. No doubles trouble in the desert… As always, Indian Wells features some of the most exciting doubles pairings on the calendar – and the fans always flock to see these rare pairings in action throughout the fortnight. In addition to the top-ranked teams of Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova and Rajeev Ram & Joe Salisbury, this year features Casper Ruud pairing up with 2019 champ Dominic Thiem, a wunderkind team of Ben Shelton and Holger Rune, and the elite American duo of Coco Gauff & Jessica Pegula. The defending Tennis Paradise Doubles champions are the American duo of John Isner/Jack Sock for the ATP and the Chinese duo of Xu Yifan/Yang Zhaoxuan for the WTA.

3. Up your on-court style on site… Take a break between matches to peruse our three amazing (and upgraded!) shopping options at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden this year. The Tennis Paradise Shop by features exclusive and expanded looks for this year’s tournament, while at the FILA store and Tennis Warehouse you can find the fits and equipment that the pros are sporting on court.

4. Lucky fourth-round finish… The farthest that a Lucky Loser (a player who loses in qualifying but gets a main-draw slot after a player withdraws) has ever made it at the BNP Paribas Open is the fourth round. That player was Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, who followed up her 2021 fourth-round finish with a sensational 2022 campaign that saw her win the WTA’s Most Improved Player prize. The 26 year old has been in excellent form to start the current season as well – could she be poised to make a deep run in Indian Wells?

5. It might be tough to top the legends… Tennis legends Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are tied at five for most BNP Paribas Open titles. The next most won by any active player is one, with Dominic Thiem, Cameron Norrie and Taylor Fritz each claiming a title over the last three years. Will anyone catch up to Rog and Nole from this current generation?

6. Seeds already one step closer to glory… Seeded players at the BNP Paribas Open benefit from a first-round bye, meaning it will only take them six wins to lift the coveted (and heavy) Baccarat Trophy compared to the seven needed by an unseeded entrant. Keeping your ranking up throughout the year can definitely pay dividends here – only one unseeded player has won the men’s singles event since 2000 (Alex Corretja – 2000) and two on the women’s side (Naomi Osaka – 2018, Bianca Andreescu – 2019). 

7. Serving up new menu offerings… Just when you thought the food at the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens couldn’t get any better – it has. This year features a whopping seven new offerings, including funky hot dog combinations at Pink’s, the mouthwatering eats of Bistro 88 by Jet Tila (of Food Network fame), and Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream too cool off after a long day of sizzling tennis. 🍦

8. Eisenhower Cup to showcase mixed doubles… Mixed doubles? In the desert? No, this isn’t a mirage – this year’s Eisenhower Cup by Masimo will feature eight teams of ATP-WTA combinations playing the the “Tiebreak Tens” match format (first to 10 points wins the match). Some marquee teams you won’t want to miss: Taylor Fritz + Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek + Hubert Hurkacz, and Felix Auger-Aliassime & Leylah Fernandez. The Eisenhower Cup kicks off at 7:15pm PST on Tuesday! 

9. Everything (Tennis), Everywhere, All At Once… With nine show courts for matches and a whopping *20* practice courts on site, a ticket to the 2023 BNP Paribas Open has literally all the tennis you could ever dream of – in this universe and the next.

10. Sabalenka’s scintillating start to 2023… Did you know recent Australian Open champ Aryna Sabalenka won her first 10 matches of the season in straight sets? She blitzed through the draw in Adelaide for her first title and then followed it up with a maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne, dropping the first set (after 20 in a row) to reigning Wimbledon champ Elena Rybakina before coming back to win after three high-quality sets of tennis. Anyone for a rematch in two weeks time? 🤔

11. The renaissance of American men’s tennis… Anyone who says American men’s tennis has declined over the years simply hasn’t been paying attention. There are an impressive 11 American men entered in the main draw of the men’s singles competition, led by defending champion and Rancho Santa Fe native Taylor Fritz.

12. Talking tennis with the pros… For 12 days from March 6th to 17th, keep your eye out for some exciting surprise player interviews at the Village Stage around 12:30pm. Grab a cold drink, a tasty meal and have a listen to what current and former players have to say about life on tour, including tournament director (and former World No. 2) Tommy Haas.

13. The junior tour touches down in #TennisParadise… Sure, current and former players are great – but how about the future of tennis? For the first time ever, North America’s best juniors will compete at the FILA Junior Championships, a “J1” level event (one level below the junior Grand Slams). Check it out in Tennis Paradise starting Monday, March 13th.

14. Medvedev not messing around… After falling out of the Top 10 earlier this year for the first time since June 2019, Daniil Medvedev has kicked his game into overdrive, winning an impressive 14 matches in a row including three titles in Rotterdam, Qatar and Dubai. Although the quirky Russian has never made it past the fourth round in Indian Wells, he’s coming in with enough form that we think this might be the year he bucks the trend.

15. Everyone loves live music… …especially when the band is made up of tennis players. This year’s live music lineup features 15 acts, including John McEnroe’s Johnny Smyth Band & doubles legends Bob & Mike Bryan’s Bryan Bros Band.

16. Grand Slam champions galore… There are 16 Grand Slam singles champions entered in the main draw this year. Yeah, you read that right – but can you name them all? 👀

17. Entering a New Era of tennis stars… The days of Serena Williams and Roger Federer may be over after they hung up their racquets late last year, but there’s a New Era of young talent to keep an eye on at this year’s BNP Paribas Open, the youngest of which is 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova who reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and is looking to make even greater strides (and look out, her 15-year-old sister Brenda is closing in on the Top 100 too!) 

18. The youngest ever to win it… Doesn’t it feel like yesterday that 18-year-old wild card Bianca Andreescu became the youngest player ever to win Indian Wells? While injuries have derailed her consistency since that remarkable 2019 season, the now-22-year-old Canadian doesn’t seem far off her best these days. Are we due for another Bianca breakthrough in the desert?

19. Speaking of young… Coco Gauff turns 19 this year in Indian Wells. With her on-court composure and even greater maturity off the court, the well-spoken American prodigy is somehow still only a teenager – and is still getting better.

20. Back to where it all began… Remember when local hero Taylor Fritz, seeded No. 20, became the first American man since Andre Agassi to win the BNP Paribas Open? That was a year ago. Since then, Fritz has cemented his place at the top of the game, making deep runs at Wimbledon and the Nitto ATP Finals and collecting two more trophies along the way.

21. October champs looking to discover Spring magic… It’s hard to believe that just two years ago in 2021 this tournament was held in October! It was an unprecedented tournament that gave us two unexpected champions: Britain’s Cam Norrie and Spain’s Paula Badosa. They both pieced together respectable title defenses just a few months later in March 2022, but will be hoping to go a few steps further to get their hands back on the trophy that marked their biggest career triumphs.

22. It’s been a while for American women… While Fritz was able break the title drought for American men in the desert, the women are still looking for their first singles champ in 22 years when Serena Williams defeated Kim Clijsters in three sets to take the crown. Who do you think has the best shot at hometown glory this year?

23. Celebrating 23 years of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden… Tennis fans in the Coachella valley have been enjoying 23 amazing years of the sport at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, home to one of the world’s undisputed greatest tennis tournaments on the professional calendar, winning the 1000 Tournament of the Year award every single year since 2014. 

Here’s to another sensational two weeks of Tennis Paradise!