My week in Tennis Paradise
The first ever fall edition of the BNP Paribas Open did not disappoint! This tournament is fast becoming my favorite for so many reasons. Palm Springs is full of great shopping, restaurants, and adventures. Throw in an amazing tennis tournament and it truly is a tennis lovers paradise!
FIRST STOP - GIGI METHOD DOUBLES CAMP WITH GIGI FERNANDEZ
I persuaded my friend Brandi to join me at the Indian Wells edition of the Gigi Method doubles tennis camp, and we had such a blast! The two day camp was held at the Monterrey Country Club and although the camp was only two days, it was filled with so much great information, strategies, and 10 hours of on court instruction. The camp is organized by level and Gigi does a great job of putting players where they'll benefit the most. Most campers came with a friend, a spouse, or a doubles partner, but it would be just as fun to come as a solo camper.
One of the great benefits to attending the Indian Wells camp is that it includes an evening session in a suite at the BNP Paribas Open, plus grounds passes for the following two days. Our camp started with a night in the Suite with all the camp attendees. I had a super long match the morning we were leaving, so we were late to the suite. Gigi came right over to us and welcomed us to the camp, sat and talked with us about kids, tennis, and how horrible Benoit Paire was playing! She is so personable, humble, funny, and of course an incredibly talented player. Heres a video from the Tiafoe vs. Paire match.
Brandi and I stayed at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa for two nights while we attended the camp. The resort property is beautiful and very family friendly. The staff was very helpful and recommended we try the breakfast at the Palms Cafe before we head off to play tennis. The breakfast sandwich and breakfast burritos were SO GOOD, and the perfect fuel to get us through 5 hours of tennis! The resort is only 10 minutes from Monterrey Country Club and 15 minutes from Indian Wells Tennis Garden. They also have a luxury shuttle that runs to and from the tennis garden during the tournament.
We wrapped up our first day of camp and headed to the tennis garden. I know I've said this before, but the grounds really do feel like Disneyland for tennis players, clean, bright, and beautiful. We watched some amazing tennis from fellow American women, Jessica Pegula, Sloane Stephens, and Usue Arconada. Don't worry, I hadn't heard of her either, but she played great and is absolutely adorable. She was a qualifier and played Ajla Tomljanovic, who hits the ball harder than anyone I've ever seen! We also made our way over to the photo wall to take some pictures with our favorite players who had to miss the tournament.
Jessica Pegula vs. Sloane Stephens
Usue Arconada vs. Ajla Tomjlanovic
Ajla Tomjlanovic
Sending love to Roger, Dominic, and Novak...miss you guys!
After we wrapped up tennis camp, we met up with our husbands and things went downhill fast! Let me rephrase that, our diets and behavior went downhill, but the fun was amped up! We moved to the Kimpton Rowan in downtown Palm Springs, got cleaned up and headed to have a drink at High Bar, the rooftop bar at Rowan. Afterward, we walked over to Revel Public House to catch some of the night matches on television and eat some delicious bar food.
We spent our last day in the desert at the Tennis Garden and watched the epic match between Andy Murray and 18 year old Carlos Alcaraz. Their match started at 1pm and it was SO FREAKING HOT! FILA handed out free disposable hand fans, and everyone was fanning themselves so crazily it looked like a stadium of butterflies! When we couldn't take the heat any longer, we sent the guys on a mission to get us a table at NOBU where we could watch the match from the restaurant that overlooks stadium 2. We had sushi, refreshing drinks, and watched the match in the air conditioning.
What better way to celebrate another successful trip to Indian Wells than sharing a bottle of champagne at Moët and Chandon.
Indian Wells truly is one of the most fun tennis tournaments I've ever been to. With ample opportunities to play tennis, and watch tennis this is one of the best. If you weren't able to make it out to this special fall edition, mark your calendars for the BNP Paribas Open 2022 which will be held March 7-20, 2022. Find everything you need to plan a great trip to Indian Wells in my Palm Springs City Guide.
Love and Tennis,
Val
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