Earlier than the beginning of the ‘BNP Paribas Open’ in Indian Wells, followers and insiders puzzled lots concerning the organizers’ selection to alter the floor after 25 years.
The intention was to make the courts of the primary Masters 1000 of the season – notoriously the slowest ever amongst exhausting courtroom occasions – quicker and extra much like these of the Miami Open and the US Open.
The match began a number of days in the past, however it’s already honest to say that this aim has not been achieved. Within the numerous press conferences earlier than the beginning of the occasion, most ATP and WTA gamers had mentioned that they’d not observed any specific variations in comparison with the previous and Daniil Medvedev – finalist of the final two editions – had even mentioned that the floor has change into slower than previously.
After his debut in California, the Russian ace confirmed that these courts are the slowest he has ever performed on throughout his profession.
A very gradual floor
This assertion of the previous world #1 additionally appears to be licensed by some goal information.
Till final 12 months, the ‘Indian Wells’ courtroom peace index’ was 36.9. This meant that the floor was slower than that of Montreal, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris-Bercy, however completely consistent with that of the Miami Open (though circumstances are very completely different between California and Florida).
In line with the newest information – following the change of floor – the present ‘courtroom tempo index’ of Indian Wells has dropped to 29.3 (a velocity that makes these courts extra much like pink clay than to different exhausting courts).
Indian Wells 🇺🇲: Courtroom Situations – Stadium 1: #BNPParibasOpen #IndianWells #ATP #tennis #ATP1000 #ATPMasters pic.twitter.com/EqrvF509oY
— ATP Tennis Stats; Snooker Stats (@ATP_Entry) March 7, 2025
On the newest version of the present ‘Sans Filet’, high analyst Benoit Maylin harshly criticized the match organizers for this weird selection: “Indian Wells has all the time been a match with a really gradual floor, however now the organizers have made it even slower. Nearly all of the floor adjustments in the previous couple of years have contributed to slowing down the sport and making it extra boring, I do not perceive why.”
