By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday March 3, 2025
The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells has a brand new floor, supplied by Laykold this 12 months. However is it any totally different than the previous one?
A lot has been made concerning the event’s resolution to modify to a brand new supplier, with many interested in why the choice was made and what it means for the way forward for the event with the kind of notoriously sluggish taking part in circumstances that permit gamers like Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz thrive.
Fact be advised, the gamers don’t appear to know the distinction.
“They’re slightly bit quicker, which is sweet for me, proper?” Aryna Sabalenka mentioned on Tuesday. “No, but it surely feels good, feels good to this point. I will inform you later after my first match. I hope I will nonetheless prefer it.”
“The court docket is quicker, proper? I do not know,” mentioned two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, when requested.
“Laykold will deliver a brand new dynamic to the occasion, making certain that the ATP and WTA gamers have the optimum taking part in setting to be the very best they are often,” Laykold mentioned in an announcement that was revealed on the event’s web site. “Laykold’s courts ship 10 x higher consistency than the accepted business commonplace. By fine-tuning court docket velocity to inside 0.5 factors, Laykold’s scientists and skilled installers will deliver essentially the most constant courts in tennis historical past to California’s ‘fifth main’. It will guarantee an thrilling, high-level, action-packed BNP Paribas Open in 2025.”
“I really feel that it is not a lot quicker, however I’ll say possibly the bounce slightly bit decrease,” 2023 champion Elena Rybakina mentioned. “The previous few days had been, like, very windy and numerous solar got here, so it is also a bit totally different, the bounce. However I feel the court docket’s nonetheless good.”
Brad Stine, coach of Tommy Paul, who was on Stadium 1 for a two-hour follow with Alexander Zverev on Monday, says he seen little distinction – if any.
“I feel the court docket is taking part in fairly dang just like what it was final 12 months,” he mentioned. “It was fairly sluggish final 12 months. We practiced yesterday with Sascha on Stadium 1 and it was bouncing actually excessive in there.”
Some consider that Laykold is making an attempt to homogenize taking part in surfaces world wide. They complain as a result of they discover it extra attention-grabbing to have many various floor speeds, which permits many various kinds of gamers to thrive. They make an excellent level, however they could be pointing fingers on the incorrect offender. It seems that Laykold didn’t velocity up the courts at Indian Wells in any respect.
Daniil Medvedev, who complained concerning the courts throughout every of his runs to the ultimate, in 2023 and 2024, says they could truly be nearer. “It’s a shame to sport, this court docket,” Medvedev mentioned throughout a very making an attempt second throughout a match with Alexander Zverev within the desert in 2023. The Russian would love the court docket to be twice as quick.
He could also be complaining extra this 12 months…
“I like Indian Wells, I even just like the courts now, however they appear to be nearly slower than earlier than, very sluggish,” he mentioned on Tuesday throughout media day. “I performed two days, and so they appeared very, very sluggish, so let’s examine the way it performs throughout the event. And I did not see the distinction. Like, at the moment I by accident, my racquet fell down from my hand, I did not throw it (smiling), actually, and from the low top, and the grip was utterly, , torn, simply due to how tough the court docket is, and when it is tough it is sluggish.”
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