Indian Wells, the “Tunnel walk” between tennis and fashion

At Indian Wells, from the first round to the final on March 15, the eye will want its part. And not only regarding the spectacle between the lines and corridors, but also for the look of the tennis players upon arrival on the court. The first Masters 1000 of the season brings with it a couple of new features: the most curious undoubtedly concerns the “aesthetic” aspect which, after the NBA, is also conquering tennis. The second, however, will not make the big names in singles very happy, if it is true that it has to do with a reduction in the prize money for the benefit of doubles players.

THE TUNNEL WALK

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According to what was reported by the Hard Court newsletter, the “tunnel walk” initiative will debut in California: a group of players will wear high fashion clothes and will be filmed with this look while parading around the tournament site until it’s time to take to the field. The ATP’s choice winks above all at the model of the NBA and the WNBA (the US women’s basketball league) and aims to further enhance the tennis players’ status as true stars. It is likely, then, that Naomi Osaka’s looks at the last Australian Open were particularly appreciated: the Japanese woman in Melbourne actually anticipated the tunnel walk by taking to the court in exotic and very elegant clothes: on her debut against Ruzic she showed up in a dress designed, among others, by the designer Robert Wun. The same one that in the past dressed pop stars like Beyoncé and Ariana Grande.

PRIZE MONEY

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Bad news for those who decided to participate only in the singles, however. Because in California this year it was decided to focus heavily on mixed doubles: to attract the strongest players, in the wake of what happened during the last US Open (won by Errani and Vavassori, moreover, in the third set against the luxury pair Swiatek-Ruud), the organizers opted for a tripling of the prize money. The mixed doubles jackpot has therefore risen to one million dollars. By the way, Errani and Vavassori are also defending champions in Indian Wells: last year they overtook Mattek-Sands and Pavic. The men’s and women’s doubles portfolio is also swelling, thanks to a 2% increase: the Italians’ objective in the tournament will be to try to improve the path of the Berrettini-Sonego pair, who last year found their way to the quarter-finals. But where does the money for the doubles prize pool come from? From a “withdrawal” on the accounts of the men’s and women’s singles tournament: there is a 2% reduction in the total jackpot, which this year stood at a figure just under 19 million dollars in total.