Over the years, the BNP Paribas Open has become a top draw for the world’s best players, and there are voices that say that say that it should be The Fifth Major. Long-time West coast tennis teaching pro and author Marcus Paul Cootsona weighs in here with his opinion.
By Marcus Paul Cootsona
What is so magical about four? Hmm? Four points on the compass. Four Seasons. Four corners. Four-barrel carbs. Four majors in tennis. Four majors in golf. But who says? Why not a fifth major?
In golf, the tour brass has openly jonesed after one for years. In tennis, the signals are mixed. But that may not matter. Like that new IKEA, we may be getting one anyway. So what does it take to become a major? Besides divine, R&A, or ITF intervention, that is. Well, four things. Maybe five. History. Strength of field. A list of prestigious champions. An iconic venue. And an open date on the crowded tour calendar.
In golf, TPC Sawgrass has most of that, including a telegenic par three with a moat that eats 100,000 spheres a year. The Player’s is only hampered by a few questionables on the champions list. Still, the Masters had Trevor Immelman. So maybe there is an opening.
And what about the other British import, tennis? The BNP Paribas Open has the best claim in either sport to fifth-major status. It’s in California and would get no Joe Buck love. But besides that, this event has it all. A spring date when the desert’s in bloom and temperatures are in the 80s. A list of prestigious champions. The second largest tennis stadium in the world, and a new 8,000 seat second stadium with a courtside Nobu. Hawkeye on every court. Major prize money. And more where that came from. Every top player except Venus and Serena. And the patron saint of The America’s Cup, Lanai, and US tennis, Larry Ellison.
Ellison purchased the event in 2009 and not only kept it from going to China, but lavished it with lucre and transformed a great tournament into a must-play, must-see bacchanal. With its SoCal party vibe, tan-friendly temps and easy access, Indian Wells is the place every west coast tennis fan wants to end up this time of year. And here’s proof. The attendance this year may touch half a mil, a few hundred grand short of the U.S. Open, but more than a couple croissants ahead of the French. And Wimbledon. That’s major interest.
So is there an ultimate plan from the man who made yacht racing more popular and dangerous, to make tennis and his tourney even more popular and dangerous? To move the center of US tennis power to the west coast? To make a fifth major? Let’s hope so. Between the late January finish of the Australian Open and the late May start of the French Open, there are some 250s and 500s, two Davis Cup ties, and then the great lost season for American sans—the European clay court swing. The dirt season features players most Americans have never heard of, on a surface most Americans don’t use. That certainly won’t build the US audience.
But Indian Wells could. This year, it’s March 3–16, placing it neatly between two other majors. Add to that the on-site player sightings, up-close practice courts, and the adjacent tour star soccer scrums and you end up with a well-timed, approachable, credible major contender. And did I mention Nobu?
If the ATP wants to grow the game, increase ad buys, and average-fan viewership, they should want it to be a Slam. The players should want it too. It would mean more for them. More points. More prestige. More records. More money. All from the same tournament they’re already playing. And would one more major really dilute the other four? Or would it enhance them? And if you’re Nadal or Djokovic, you’ve just increased your chances of winning a slam this year by 25%. Sure it makes bagging that illusive Calendar Year Grand Slam harder, but it’s okay, the record books will put a really asterisk small by your big, buff slam total. Promise.
All makes sense, no? Ellison has laid the groundwork. More capacity. More prize money. Strong field. Nobu. Better take him up on it, because he’ll just proceed to make it even bigger and better regardless. Or, he might just turn his attention to Ponte Vedra and the other country club sport. This is tennis’ time to make a move. Everything is lined up. The momentum of the tournament and its importance is undeniable. Was that a yes to five?
Three of the four majors used to be played on grass. That changed.
No one went to the Australian Open until 1980. That changed.
The US Open itself has been contested on grass, clay, and hard courts, and the dates of the tournament have all moved. Change, change, change. So, when does tradition end and progress begin? It’s worth thinking over. Take a moment while you’re enjoying Chef Matsuhisa’s Black Cod with Miso, as the desert color fades from the Santa Rosa Mountains, after you’ve just watched Nole frolic on the pitch, and tell me this—what’ll it be, four or five?
