Indian Wells '22

An00bis

An00bis

New User
I didn't see an existing thread for this year's IW yet. Who's going?

This will be my first time at IW. I'm in Phoenix so I'm planning to drive down on Thursday night after work, attend all day Friday 3/11, and possibly half the day on Saturday before driving back (and working Sunday morning...). A few questions:
  • Thursday 3/10 and Friday 3/11 are both ATP round 1. Will I see Thursday's players practice on Friday? Or do they practice off site on days they aren't scheduled?
  • It says gates open at 10 for 11AM match start. How early should I get to there if I want to see as many practice courts as possible?
  • What time does my grounds pass become useless and only the stadiums have play? I'm not buying any stadium sessions.
  • Is it worth dropping $125 (2x grounds pass plus parking) to attend from ~10AM to 2PM on Saturday 3/12, before I drive back to Phoenix? It's a bit expensive for half a day of tennis, but I also have no reason to leave early in the day.
  • Any budget but still decent lodging suggestions? My partner and I are willing to drive up to 30 min to the tournament site in the morning.
  • Should I bring a tennis outfit? I have heard there's exclusive demo opportunities and stuff.
 
mad dog1

mad dog1

G.O.A.T.
There are players practicing everyday. They practice on their off days and they practice on match days before their matches.

for Friday, the grounds pass won’t be useless. Typically for the early rounds, there will be matches being played late into the night. If you stay and watch the entire day on Friday, you may be feeling tennis overload and might not want to return for only a half day on Saturday plus if the final Friday night matches don’t end until 1am or so, you may want to sleep in on Saturday anyways.
 
LuckyR

LuckyR

Legend
I'll be there over the middle weekend. IW is much better than the USO in that it is way easier to actually play tennis. Plus it is a great break from crappy weather.
 
S

studpuffin

New User
You'll see players practicing everyday, so check the app. If it's your first time going, I'd be there around 10AM to take into account parking and navigating the stadium. Plus, you can get a good seat before your 11AM match start. Note that the practice sessions will be going on throughout the day even during matches.

If you're going for ATP round 1, I don't think you need a stadium reserved seat. There's many other high quality matches going on in the non-stadium courts, and you can also go into non-reserved sections of some stadiums (2 and 3 I believe). I personally think it's ok to drop $125 for Sat, but this really depends on your appetite for tennis. It can get pretty tiring watching matches for the entire day especially under the sun.

Tennis outfit - not completely necessary, but you certainly can if you want. The TW tent offers demo opportunities which are quite fun but can get crowded, so try to take advantage of non-peak times.

Other protips would be to bring sunscreen, hydroflask (or some kind of insulated bottle), long sleeved shirts (preferably light colored), some kind of hat (bucket hat is ideal to protect your face/neck), and sunglasses since you might be in the sun for hours. Also pay attention to the clear bag policy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lim
GeoffHYL

GeoffHYL

Professional
I'm also thinking of attending this year. Where are the policies such as "clear bag" listed on the website?
 
ChaelAZ

ChaelAZ

G.O.A.T.
An00bis said:
I didn't see an existing thread for this year's IW yet. Who's going?

This will be my first time at IW. I'm in Phoenix so I'm planning to drive down on Thursday night after work, attend all day Friday 3/11, and possibly half the day on Saturday before driving back (and working Sunday morning...). A few questions:
  • Thursday 3/10 and Friday 3/11 are both ATP round 1. Will I see Thursday's players practice on Friday? Or do they practice off site on days they aren't scheduled?
  • It says gates open at 10 for 11AM match start. How early should I get to there if I want to see as many practice courts as possible?
  • What time does my grounds pass become useless and only the stadiums have play? I'm not buying any stadium sessions.
  • Is it worth dropping $125 (2x grounds pass plus parking) to attend from ~10AM to 2PM on Saturday 3/12, before I drive back to Phoenix? It's a bit expensive for half a day of tennis, but I also have no reason to leave early in the day.
  • Any budget but still decent lodging suggestions? My partner and I are willing to drive up to 30 min to the tournament site in the morning.
  • Should I bring a tennis outfit? I have heard there's exclusive demo opportunities and stuff.
Click to expand...


I live in Surprise/Phoenix too and have been going for years. I have done short turn-arounds, simple parking lot car sleeping overnighters, and extended vacations for a week there. All are worth it to me. It is only about 3.5 hours drive to get there. I have done parking and also parked off a ways away and walked or took a taxi/uber. When staying at some hotels/resorts you get the free shuttle, and that is best to me. I only buy the ground pass anymore with PLENTY to see on practice courts alone, but access to great stadium matches too. The only "kinda' budget friendly option is the RV sites, but those are booked early so usually no anything open this close, but who knows this year.

I don't vax so can't go this year. Bummer, but wutevs.
 
socallefty

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
‘Badosa headlines Tuesday lineup’ is the first news item on the IW website. She is hardly a superstar and it tells you about the limited talent on display today - this half of the men‘s draw has no stars.
 
S

silentkman

Hall of Fame
socallefty said:
‘Badosa headlines Tuesday lineup’ is the first news item on the IW website. She is hardly a superstar and it tells you about the limited talent on display today - this half of the men‘s draw has no stars.
Click to expand...

please don't watch any matches due to the lack of superstars. actually some people actually like to watch a compelling match. sheesh
 
mad dog1

mad dog1

G.O.A.T.
socallefty said:
‘Badosa headlines Tuesday lineup’ is the first news item on the IW website. She is hardly a superstar and it tells you about the limited talent on display today - this half of the men‘s draw has no stars.
Click to expand...
I actually really enjoy watching ITF futures, challengers, IW qualifying and 1st round matches featuring a bunch of “no name” players because the level of play and competition is still insanely high quality.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
Indian Wells - seeking help
Replies
24
Views
850
nolefam_2024
nolefam_2024
C
Best bet for BNP Indian Wells tickets?
Replies
4
Views
2K
TennisJC
T
r2473
Official 2015 BNP Paribas / Indian Wells Thread - Who's Going?
2
Replies
79
Views
13K
West Coast Ace
West Coast Ace
C
Cincinnati (Western & Southern Open) - ticket tips?
Replies
3
Views
802
jmnk
J
H
Indian Wells Travelers - Cheapest time to book
Replies
1
Views
893
Fee
Fee
Top