TENN360 | THE FAN'S GUIDE TO THE TOUR
tennis is more than the score.
INDIAN WELLS
Tour
ATP/WTA
Date of event
28 Feb-14 Mar 2027
Location
California
Surface
Hard outdoor
Website
Singles Title
J Sinner/A Sabalenka
Doubles Title
M Guinard G Andreozzi/T Townsend K Siniaková
Level
1000
TENN360 INSIGHT:
Welcome to Tennis Paradise. Set among the palm trees and mountains of the Coachella Valley, Indian Wells has the scale of a major without actually being a Grand Slam — and the combination of world-class tennis, desert sunshine and a spectacular venue makes it feel rather special. Both the ATP and WTA 1000 events are played here, making it one of the rare places where you can spend a day following both tours.
Stadium 1 is the showstopper: 16,100 seats and one enormous tennis experience. For a proper match-watching view, I'd choose a lower or middle-level seat slightly side-on rather than obsessing over being courtside. But don't dismiss Stadiums 3–9 — they're smaller, closer to the action and included with several ticket types, which can produce some of the best fan moments of the day.
Excellent. This is one of the great strengths of Indian Wells for fans. Practice courts are open to anyone with a ticket or grounds pass, and there are 20 of them, giving you plenty of opportunities to watch players preparing for their matches at close quarters. Go early, check the daily practice schedule and resist the temptation to spend the entire day in Stadium 1.
You want the full tennis holiday rather than simply a match. Indian Wells gives you the biggest names from both tours, loads of courts, practice sessions, food, shopping, music and that unmistakable California setting. If you love discovering players on the smaller courts as much as watching the headline names, this is particularly good fun.
Don't arrive with a single match in mind and then leave. Indian Wells rewards wandering. Start with the practice courts, catch some early matches on the smaller stadiums, explore the grounds and then settle into your big Stadium 1 match later. There are also restaurants, shops, live entertainment and plenty happening away from the courts, so give yourself a full day.
This is desert tennis, so sun protection is not optional. March normally brings glorious daytime conditions, but the desert can cool noticeably once the sun disappears, so sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat and a light layer for the evening are the sensible combination. And remember to drink water — tennis paradise is still a desert.
Very good. The Indian Wells Tennis Garden is designed around the car, with free general parking, dedicated rideshare/taxi areas and complimentary hotel shuttles for participating partner hotels. Once you're inside, though, you're better off leaving the car where it is — the whole point is to walk the tennis grounds and move between courts.
You prefer your tennis intimate, quiet and slightly scruffy around the edges. Indian Wells is polished, busy and big — the tournament have usually more than 500,000 fans through the gates over the fortnight. It's less “wander into a little club and accidentally meet a future star” and more “there is an entire tennis universe happening over there”.
Power in Numbers
96
Single Draws
16,100
Centre court seat
26
Courts