April 3, 2009

Having a Ball

TFK Kid Reporter Claire Epting reports from the BNP Paribas Open

By TFK Reporter Claire Epting

Each year, more than 300,000 tennis fans gather in Indian Wells, California, to watch the world's best tennis players compete in the BNP Paribas Open. The popular event is the fifth most attended tennis tournament in the world. Last month, I had the opportunity to cover the big event and chat with some of the world's top-ranked tennis stars.

COURTESY CHRIS EPTING TFK Kid Reporter Claire Epting watches a match from the media room.

On the Scene

The BNP Paribas Open is held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The venue features shops with the season's newest tennis clothes, food and beverage booths and lots of TV viewing areas. Here, visitors can keep up with scores from all the matches being played on different courts. Practice courts that are open to the public give fans a chance to see top players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal up close. You might even get a chance to meet them in person at the autograph booths.

The media room is on the second floor of the stadium court complex. This is where reporters and photographers go to work on their stories. The space is filled with computers and printers, as well as TVs to keep track of scores. The media room overlooks the main court and has a great view of the action.

After each match, players go to the interview room to answer questions from the press. It was here that I ran into tennis hall of famer Tony Trabert - now almost 80 years old! He told TFK that his advice for young tennis players is to "enjoy playing, practice hard and be in the best shape you can be." French tennis champ Amelie Mauresmo has similar advice. "[You should be] passionate about the game," she told TFK. American Andy Roddick adds that aspiring players should "work hard and focus on the game every day."

Day Two

The following day, I chatted one-on-one with Serbian player Ana Ivanovic, 21, and with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 24. Ivanovic was the defending champ this year at Indian Wells. She says she enjoys listening to her iPod before a match, especially to Beyoncé. Her favorite place to play is in Australia because she has family there. Ivanovic says that the most important thing young players should do is to follow their dreams and believe in themselves. Ivanovic stayed in the game through the end of the tournament but was defeated in the women's finals by Russia's Vera Zvonareva.

Tsonga was seeded 11th in the Indian Wells tournament. The French player says he sees himself as a role model to kids in his home country of France. What's his advice for kids who want to follow in his footsteps? "Get enjoyment out of any sport you play and give it your best all the time," Tsonga told TFK.

COURTESY CHRIS EPTING Claire with Serbian tennis star Ana Ivanovic.

Like other major tournaments, the BNP Paribas Open is an incredible place for fans to experience professional tennis. You never know what stars you might run into and there are many young, up-and-coming players to discover. Until next year!

Special thanks to Matt Van Tuinen and Amy Binder for arranging the interviews.

Back to all headlines