Why tennis fans call this desert tournament the fifth Grand Slam

Countries & Cities · Published 12 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In the heart of California's Coachella Valley, a massive tennis spectacle draws hundreds of thousands. It is the largest tournament in the world outside the four Grand Slams, boasting a stadium that is the second largest on the planet and a history marked by both elite sporting feats and intense controversy.

Held annually in March at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the Indian Wells Open is a premier event on both the ATP and WTA tours. Known as the 'Grand Slam of the West' or the 'fifth Grand Slam', this event draws more spectators than any tennis competition excluding the four majors. In 2024, the event saw a total attendance of 493,440 people. The tournament's infrastructure is equally massive, featuring 29 courts and a 16,100-seat main stadium, which ranks as the second-largest permanent tennis stadium globally, trailing only New York's Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The tournament's prestige is highlighted by the 'Sunshine Double,' a rare feat achieved when a player wins both the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open in consecutive weeks. To enhance visibility, the venue even utilizes a custom 'Pro Purple' interior court color, specifically designed to be 180 degrees opposite the yellow of the tennis ball. Since 2009, the event has been under the ownership of billionaire Larry Ellison, and BNP Paribas has held the naming rights since that same year.

However, the tournament's history is not without friction. Between 2001 and 2014, Venus and Serena Williams boycotted the event. This period included a highly contentious 2001 final where Serena was met with intense booing from the crowd, an atmosphere that Richard Williams later attributed to racial slowness directed at him. The boycott eventually ended when Serena returned in 2015 following a call from Ellison, with Venus following the next year.

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