The Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California, one of the most state of the art tennis facilities in the United States and around the world, is the showcase for the 2014 BNP Paribas Open which started on March 3rd and will end on March 16th. This year’s tournament is unique considering the massive changes the Indian Wells Tennis Garden has gone through. Over the course of the past year over 70 million dollars were invested into making the facilities, and in turn the tournament, one of a kind.
The Indian Wells Tennis Gardens holds the fifth largest tournament in the world after the four Grand Slams, Wimbledon, French Open, Australian Open, and US Open. Covering over 54 acres, it provides 41,485 seats for spectators to watch the matches and 29 courts to play on overall. It increased its seating capacity by 17% and now exceeds the capacity of both the French Open and Wimbledon facilities.
Over the last 10 months they have built a new stadium, a Stadium 2 that holds up to an additional 8,000 people, and also made adjustments and changes to the infrastructure around it. They have also added four additional practice courts and a 19,000 square-foot steel shade to top off the new area. Underneath the huge steel shade, visitors can go to three food vendors, a new bar, three new dine-in restaurants (the sushi Bar Nobu, Woodfire pizza and Chop House) and a 16 acre garden.
What makes the changes so special is not only the speed in which they built the new facility but also the details and extravagance involved in such a project. The seats in Stadium 2 were set up in a cantilever format so that the visitors are right on top of the action and have a clear view over the court. Even if you want to enjoy a nice dinner on site you will be able to follow the matches from the outward-facing window seats as well as tiered on the television screens installed around the restaurants. Of course, you can also find a piece of art in the stadium as quarry tile was used for the perimeter walls around the new court.
Now because of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the BNP Paribas Open is one of the most high-tech tournaments. Besides the infrastructure changes, people have access to public wifi throughout the site and Hawkeye is installed at all nine tournament courts. So, if you ever get the chance to go to Indian Wells, stop by at the the tennis facility and experience it yourself, especially during BNP Paribas Open.
