Double Fault: 2 big mistakes Indian Wells has made so far

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Double Fault: 2 big mistakes Indian Wells has made so far

Indian Wells is considered an outstanding tennis tournament. It is so good that it has multiple names including the BNP Paribas Open and Tennis Paradise.

Sometimes called the unofficial fifth Grand Slam, the tournament made two noteworthy mistakes in its opening days this year.

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The Indian Wells tournament director, former player Tommy Haas, is no doubt losing sleep over these missteps.

The Indian Wells mistakes

The first mistake involved American tennis legend Venus Williams. Williams, who is normally very calm and pleasant, became agitated when there was no cold water on the court for the players to drink.

She grew impatient with waiting and threatened to call the referee if the situation was not resolved. In this day and age where hydration is everything, it is difficult to believe the tournament did not have an abundance of water on the ready especially since the event is held in the desert.

Whereas, Venus Williams threatened to stop play if the issue was not resolved, the second Indian Wells mistake actually did stop play.

There were no tennis balls ready to go. Yes, you read that correctly, a tennis tournament that did not have the stash of balls ready to go when frequent ball changes are planned in matches.

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The tennis balls have been a big topic outside of this issue. Prior to the tournament, Taylor Fritz was speaking about the switch from Penn to Dunlop. Dunlop balls have materially affected play because they get fuzzy and swell up with use, and players have to adjust their serving and returning strategies based on the lifecycle of the balls. Switching brands of tennis balls is an issue that affects the WTA and ATP Tours beyond Indian Wells. It is based on sponsorship agreements and money; however, the players have to adjust to changes from tournament to tournament. This would be the equivalent of asking NFL players to change the footballs used every week of the season.

A stack of tennis balls are stacked on one of the practice courts during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., Wednesday, March 4, 2026.

Hopefully, it is smoother sailing for the BNP Paribas Open in the next week, and no more mistakes occur.

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The post Double Fault: 2 big mistakes Indian Wells has made so far appeared first on The Big Lead.

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