Issue #17: (Tennis) Ballin' on a Budget at Indian Wells
I visited Palm Springs, attended my first professional tennis tournament, and found five Bay Area homes with or near tennis courts.
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I consider myself a casual tennis fan and have thought it would be fun to attend a Grand Slam tennis tournament. Challengers, a rather sexy movie about tennis, was one of my favorite movies of 2024. A few weeks ago my girlfriend and I were discussing upcoming schedules, and she suggested that we attend the annual BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. We both love Palm Springs and are always looking for an excuse to visit the Coachella Valley.
Founded in 1974, the BNP Paribas Open is the largest combined Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and Men’s Professional Tennis (ATP) tournament outside of the four Grand Slams (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open). Last year 493,440 fans attended matches over the fortnight tournament.
After checking the BNP Paribas Open’s schedule, we checked flight prices on Skyscanner (our favorite place to look for travel deals) and found roundtrip plane tickets from San Francisco to Palm Springs for $130 each including taxes. I am currently very busy between real estate and officiating lacrosse games, but I could swing a short weekday trip. My availability aligned with the qualifying days at the tournament. There are three days where players on their way up or their way down compete to qualify for the main draw. Stars like Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic do not complete in the qualifying rounds as they have direct entry into the main draw.
During the qualifying days, you can buy an all-day grounds pass for $10 a person, including parking; the tournament donates the revenue from those ticket sales to local charitable organizations. I attended the second day of qualifying rounds and enjoyed more than $10 worth of live tennis. The crowds were large but manageable, and there were no reserved seats at the seven courts with qualifying matches scheduled throughout the day. Spectators could enter or exit the stadium during breaks in play, and you could easily catch multiple matches throughout the day. I loved watching professional tennis players battle it out during long rallies while sitting courtside. Tennis etiquette requires that the spectators are silent during play so I could hear the players grunt as their racquets made contact with the ball.
I started the day by watching Colton Smith beat Fabio Fognini in a rather uneven match. Smith is a 22-year-old American player who did qualify for the main draw. Fognini is a 37-year-old Italian player, who despite currently being ranked 95, was not at his best during his match against Smith (cue Fognini throwing his racquet against the wall in frustration). The height of Fognini’s career was in 2015 when he won the Australian Open for men’s doubles.
After a quick break for lunch where we watched a Dave Matthews Band tribute and cover band perform as we ate, we watched a nailbiter of a match with great rallies between Pablo Carreño Busta and Zachary Svajda. Carreño Busta, a 33-year-old Spanish player, battled it out with 22-year-old American Svajda for over two hours. After Carreño Busta won the match, he played Game! Set! Catch! a cute post-match promotion wherein the winning player signs three balls and then hits them into the crowd to great fanfare.
At the tournament, I met devoted tennis enthusiasts who knew the complete biography of every player in the tournament. Many of these tennis fans were also dressed in full tennis regalia – not just tennis inspired outfits – and looked ready to jump from the stadium seats to the court to start playing at any moment. In the gift shop you could buy oversized novelty tennis balls for players to sign. After each match, the winning player would exit the court to fans lined up with pens at the ready for autographs.
Hotels in Indian Wells were at a premium during the tournament. I found a great deal at the Saguaro hotel in Palm Springs, which is a 35 minute drive from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. My girlfriend considers the Saguaro the best hotel deal in Palm Springs; they currently have a $89 a night deal for California residents. The Saguaro has great vibes, a huge pool, and a delicious onsite restaurant. There is also a Koffi location nearby so I could enjoy one of their delicious latte freezes each morning.
After spending yesterday at the tournament, my girlfriend and I headed back to the Saguaro for some pool and hot tub time followed by dinner. In the hot tub, we started chatting with two septuagenarians who live in Santa Barbara. One of the women was originally from Oakland, and her grandfather and father were Realtors with an office in the Montclair neighborhood. She shared lots of fun facts about the real estate industry in the Bay Area in the 1950’s through 1980’s. She also has a very adventurous spirit, and regaled us with stories from the two years she and her husband lived on a 22-foot boat sailing around the East Coast and Caribbean. I finished the night with dinner and drinks at the Saguaro’s restaurant, El Jefe, while I wrote this newsletter issue.
Attending the BNP Paribas Open has made me want to watch more professional tennis and learn how to play the game. This week I looked for homes for sale with a private tennis court (a tall and expensive order!) or that are located near tennis courts.
A Private Tennis Court at 26 Sea View Avenue, Piedmont
76 Eucalyptus Road, Berkeley + Berkeley Tennis Club
712 54th Street, Oakland + Bushrod Park
121 Brookline Street, Moraga + Moraga Country Club
85 Scenic Drive, Orinda + Meadow Swim and Tennis Club
Let me know if you are looking for a new home, and I can create a customized search based on your wants and needs that will email you homes that meet your search criteria. You can schedule time with me to discuss your search for a new home or selling your current home by emailing me at DanSilvertHomes@gmail.com. DRE #01963734
I enjoyed the newsletter! A fun time and great photos! And a good variety of tennis friendly homes!