The BNP Paribas Open = Awesome!

Hey Will and Crew

Originally I was upset cause I thought I would miss you guys; going on the 19th. But I recently found out that I will have a chance to attend on the 11th! That just made my day...lol

I'll be the guy taking pics of you guys taking pics!

BTW, it's great for you guys to be able to travel, literally across the country to visit us in wonderful southern cali for an even more wonderful tournament like Indian Wells!

So I just got a Daily General Admission ticket for Monday (2nd round). This is my first professional tennis match I've been to, so I'm both excited and confused. Any advice on things to check out? Will the top match be played at the evening? Where are the practice courts at? How do I view those? How often are they? How busy? Etc.?

Basically, just any helpful tips and advise for a new tennis fanatic.

nick, You're going to have a great time. Many people call the BNP Paribas "the Fifth Grand Slam" because it is so big with WTA and ATP. Advice, I like to sit at the top of Stadium 2 east side - you can see 2 of course and then look over the back at 3 other matches below.

As for the practice courts, you can't miss 'em. They are right there and they will be swarming with pros and fans! Have fun!

Hey Nick, sorry im not Will...duh! lol .. BUT, i've been to IW and few times and other tennis tournaments as well. Monday huh? Lot's and lot's of action on all the courts! So yea, it will be very busy. The "top match" is relative, depends on who you're out there to watch. IW like the US Open has many night matches so yea, many of the top players could be scheduled then. You can check online at their website for the schedule of play or pick one up when you're there (i think it's like a dollar for something like that and 5 bucks for a program book). The practice courts are on the south (?) end of the grounds? Basically just walk around and all those courts where you can stand right next to the court is prob a practice one! lol, The grounds is a decent size but there are lots of courts everywhere. I usually just camp myself out on one of these practice courts and see who wanders in :-) ... But im going with a ball girl's family this time so I'm prob gonna be spending more time attending the matches she works.
There is no real way to check things out..what ever you do, i don't think you can go wrong...just don't spend all your time in the stadiums..walk around, visit the vendors, and you'll have a wonderful time!!!

Thanks, Kelvin. I plan to get there around 9:30 (I live about 2 hours away) and just enjoy the entire day and take in the experience. See some early matches, watch some practice, walk around, and then hopefully get a top-notch evening match.

As for my top matches: They are, of course, Federer, then Nadal, and then any of Roddick, Murray, or Djokovic. I'd put Davydenko, Soderling, Verdasco, Tsonga, Monfils, Cilic, and Isner on the next tier below that. I see that last year, Federer played on Monday and Nadal on Tuesday. But last year, Federer entered as #2, and Nadal #1, and this year they are switched. Does the top seed traditionally play on the 2nd night of the 2nd round? Or is it more random than that?

So even though I'm hoping to see Federer, I would still be ecstatic to see Nadal. I just hope they both aren't playing on Tuesday.

Hi Will,

Does you know if the names and practice times for players at Indian Wells are posted online or on-site? If I'm watching a Justin Henin match at Noon it would be nice to know if Federer is scheduled to practice at 1 p.m.

I'll look for you guys at Indian Wells!

Thanks for your website!

Sorry, I meant to type: "Do you know"

I'll be at Indian Wells Sat 3/13 and Sun 3/14.

Hi Will

I have been taking help from ur instructional vids for about 2 months and I am picking up pretty well! Thank u for that.

I do wish that u can get a much clearer slow motion and more zoomed-in vid of Roger Federer's "grips" during the entire motion of his stroke. Or for that matter any good right-handed player with eastern forehand and classic backhand(eastern backhand) grip.
Grips are a bit confusing in the beginning and I dont want to inculcate the wrong techniques. In spite of u especially making the Federer's grip vid, its still a lil confusing.

I stay in India, wish I could have come for the BNP Paribas Open tournament. Maybe some other day. :)

Thanx again!

Hi Will!

I'm a sophomore in high school and part of the girls tennis team. The boys and girls tennis teams at my school are going to Indian Wells on the 9th! I have been watching your videos for about a year and a half now and they have been very helpful. Thank you so much! Hope to see you in Indian Wells!

Thanks Mia! We'll be wandering around the practice courts all day. Just look for some guys w/video cameras.

Dear Will,

I thought last year's footage was excellent and really instructional. Would it be possible to get some film of Federer playing groundstrokes with more pace? There were a few shots documented last timewhere he was hitting with more speed and they were very interesting.

Regards,


Desmond

If Federer plays we'll get a lot of footage of him. He might not make it though (lame!).

Hi Will,

I became familiar with you through Yaro's video-interview with you. Since this time, my buddy and I have started to use your website as a guidline for our own. We have a golf site.
By the way, it looks like the site provides you with a great lifestyle. You have this ability to help others get good at something they love, as well as travel to watch the game you love - awesome. Congratulations on this! Thanks for the inadvertent help and good-luck! Ed

Hey Ed,

Thanks! I enjoyed speaking with Yaro -- I've been reading / learning from his blog for some time now. FYB has provided us with some great opportunities -- we're lucky for that.

What's your golf website's URL? I looked at golfspan.com (now golflink.com) for guidance when we were first getting started.

Will

Great post and we totally agree. See you there!