The foundation laid by Charlie Pasarell, Raymond Moore, and Peggy Michel in 1985 helped to perpetuate the BNP Paribas Open’s growth in the Coachella Valley.
Order on the Court
While the brawl for bragging rights raged on between the Racquet Club and the Tennis Club in Palm Springs, a new champion was emerging in the east valley.
It may have been some 40 years ago but tennis hall-of-famer Charlie Pasarell still remembers the last ATP tennis tournament played in Tucson before it was relocated to Mission Hills Country Club and the valley where it would grow to become the BNP Paribas Open. First of all, it wasn’t really even a tennis tournament. “They called it the American
Desert Dreamers 4: The Sports Stars
They came; they saw blue skies, perfect weather, and endless possibilities for indulging their sporting passions.
From the beginning, Palm Springs has always been a sporty place. People first came because the dry desert air was good for the lungs (actually, its clean air, devoid of pollution, helps people with conditions like asthma), but it wasn’t long before the sports-minded crowd followed with their tennis rackets, golf clubs, polo mallets, and hiking staffs. Nellie Coffman laid
The Grandest Slam
The annual BNP Paribas Tournament in Indian Wells is often referred to as professional tennis' unofficial fifth Grand Slam event. The guys behind it are not ones to be content with fifth.
Each spring, they flock in record numbers to the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. That’s a long and fancy name. They should just call the whole thing Pasarell’s Palace. Starting March 8, and for the next 11 days, as many as 500,000 people will roll through the gates. The Palm Springs area will buzz. Restaurants will