Tennis is very much alive at Indian Wells

When the BNP Paribas Open shows up at Indian Wells in the desert each March, with stars such as Novak Djokovic and Coco Goff, sellout crowds, and a party atmosphere, you are tempted to recall a less joyous period for the game.

In May 1994, the cover of Sports Illustrated posed the question, “Is Tennis Dying?” If it was, the sport has made a remarkable comeback. Not only are there tournaments from the Dubai in the Middle East to Cincinnati in the middle of America, there’s also a network—The Tennis Channel—that 24 hours a day shows nothing but, yes, tennis. 

That SI article was written by the great Sally Jenkins and made some striking charges against both the people who ran the game and those who played the game. But if there are miracle drugs now in medicine that can cure virtually everything, there have been miraculous changes in tennis. 

“Tennis is spoiled rotten,” Jenkins wrote 30 years ago. “If you are wondering exactly when a wonderful game became such a lousy sport, the answer is, the first time a corporate executive gave a 14-year-old a stretch limo to play with.”

Whether the mode of transportation has changed is debatable, but what the 14-year-olds, or in the case of Gaël Monfils, a 38-year-old, are playing with is the determination to be a champion. One of the changes came about, ironically, because of a 14-year-old named Venus Williams. Only a few months after Jenkins’ piece, Williams made her professional debut in a match at Oakland. 

Williams and her younger sister, Serena, put tennis into the headlines and onto prime time.  Suddenly it was a social phenomenon as well as a sport, bringing in a new audience and new interest. Two young female African American athletes, and their very involved father, Richard,  captured our attention while the ladies were capturing trophies.

It may be an overstatement to credit Venus as the individual responsible for the revival of the game. Yet she certainly played a significant part. Sadly, Venus, now 44, declined an invitation to this year’s Indian Wells event. Time catches up with everyone, even trailblazers.

Indian Wells has been nicknamed the “Fifth Major” for good reason. It definitely brings in the best players and also brings in the fans to fill the second-largest tennis stadium in America, which boasts 16,100 seats. Entertainment personalities come down the 120 miles from Hollywood to see and be seen. That, of course, is what helps make any sport. If the celebrities care, and they care about Indian Wells, you will be a success.

Forget the obituaries, tennis is very much alive, whether at Flushing Meadows, Roland Garros, or any of the other tournaments.

For verification simply note what goes on at the BNP these ten days at Indian Wells.