Match point

Chapter 1054 Tennis Paradise
Initially, the "Fifth Grand Slam" should be Miami. After all, the status, scale, lineup, etc. of the "Sunshine Double Crown" are thriving in the annual tour.

However, with the passage of time, the two races in Miami and Indian Wells have gradually stepped out of different development curves and changed the pattern.

The development of Miami lags behind in an all-round way. The scene is dilapidated, the scale is stagnant, and the equipment has not been updated for a long time. Indian Wells:

Develop in an all-round way, keep pace with the times, not only actively attract sponsorship funds, but also the whole plan is very clear and comprehensive.

Four different levels of large and medium-sized "stand courts", all competition venues are equipped with Hawkeye systems, equipment and services are continuously updated, which is comparable to the Australian Open, which has spent the most money on venue updates in recent years for the Four Grand Slams.

It is precisely because of this that Indian Wells came from behind and gradually replaced Miami. In the past few years, the title of "Fifth Grand Slam" has quietly shifted, and finally fell on the head of Indian Wells—— —

In 2014, Indian Wells won the ATP Tour of the Year title for the first time.

After that, this title has never been left behind, until the end of the history that Gao Wen is familiar with, and it has not changed hands, once again proving the excellence of this competition.

Besides that, there is one very, very important thing:

Tournament prize money.

Indian Wells and Miami dominate the Masters class, just as Dubai dominates the [-] class.

Throughout the year, there are a total of nine ATP Masters tournaments, and North America occupies four seats, namely Indian Wells, Miami, Cincinnati and Canada.

Take 2015 as an example.

Cincinnati's total prize money is $450 million, and Canada's total prize money is $4 million; for the same event, Miami's total prize money is $630 million, and Indian Wells' is $710 million.

To put it simply, even if they are only eliminated in the first round, there is a significant gap in the prize money of the event.

Looking at all events other than the four Grand Slams throughout the year, the total prize money of Indian Wells tops the list.

In other words, the points for the nine Masters tournaments throughout the year are all the same, with [-] points for the champion and [-] points for the runner-up, but the prize money for the competitions is significantly different.

Then, the change of competition intention can be foreseen.

Therefore, whether it is a high-ranking player or a low-ranking player, all of them list the "Sunshine Double Championship" as a must-attend game in the first quarter.

In 2017, there was a real death zone in the Indian Wells draw:

In the 4th quarter, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Del Potro, Zverev Jr., Kyrgios, all six players entered the same division.

Such a draw is difficult to see even in the Grand Slam, but Indian Wells appeared, which is indeed a rare sight.

So, who came out on top that year?
Federer defeated Nadal and Kyrgios defeated Djokovic to join the quarter-finals; then Kyrgios retired and walked Federer into the semi-finals.

The Swiss king, who was waiting for work, performed well in the follow-up, winning two more games in a row, and became the champion.

Of course, there is one more bonus point:

game atmosphere.

Like Melbourne, Indian Wells is known as "Tennis Paradise", the biggest reason is the enthusiasm and madness from the audience.

During the annual event, audiences from all over the North American continent flock to join the carnival just like attending the Coachella Music Festival.

The "Fifth Grand Slam" can match the Grand Slam in all aspects. From popularity to treatment, it is basically at the Grand Slam level. This also directly proves Indian Wells' current status in the tournament——

Perhaps, Miami still refuses to acknowledge the change of ownership of the title, but the facts speak louder than words, Indian Wells has won its own praise.

Of course, it is precisely because Miami and Indian Wells both shine that the status of the "Sunshine Double Crown" is so special.

Whether it is a male player or a female player, no one wants to miss out.

Take a look at the list of applicants:
Men's players, ranked top [-] in the world, only Tsonga was absent due to injury, and all others appeared——

Among them, Cilic also chose to come back in Indian Wells.

Last year, after reaching the final of the U.S. Open and creating the best career of his career, Cilic's luck was not good. Missed the entire Australian season.

It wasn't until March that he came back, but he didn't know his status.

Among the top [-] female players in the world, only Kvitova and Venus Williams were absent due to injuries, and all others were present.

It can be seen from this registration list alone that the players attach great importance to this event, and it can be said that they treat it with a Grand Slam attitude.

In fact, both Tsonga and Kvitova also arrived in Indian Wells early to train here, trying to see their status.

It was not until the last moment when the draw came out that I realized that my body could not bear the intensity of the game, so I had no choice but to withdraw from the game.

This move also proves that they are not willing to be absent if they can.

It is precisely because of this that the small town of Indian Wells began to make noise early——

One week before the start of the race, the qualifying rounds had already kicked off.

And, that's not all.

Even if the qualifying rounds are lost, those low-ranked players will not turn around and leave immediately. First, they are waiting for the opportunity of the lucky loser; In the event of an injury, they can make up their qualifications.

Note that there is no need for seeded players, even if unseeded players cannot participate, and the vacant lottery still needs a substitute player.

The only prerequisite is: I am present.

Like the rules of the lucky loser, the game will not notify those players who are not present by phone individually, but will list the world rankings according to the list of players staying in Indian Wells, and make up for them in turn.

So, occasionally this happens:

Suppose there is a player ranked 99 in the world and a player ranked 130 in the world.

The 99th place can participate in the qualifying competition and successfully enter the final round of the final round. As long as they win, they can be shortlisted for the main competition.

The 130th place didn't even have a chance to qualify, but he still arrived in Indian Wells to wait.

Then, someone in the registration form withdraws from the race, and the event organizer makes a list, according to the order, and then, 130 people will be added.

At the same time, the final round of the qualifying round ended, but the 99th place was eliminated, and even the lucky loser didn't get a chance.

Similar situations happen often, but more or less need some luck.

Therefore, before the official draw of the event, Indian Wells began to be lively about a week in advance, and the bustling crowd filled the entire town, and it continued until the end of all the games in the first round——

In the subsequent rounds of the second and third rounds, the withdrawal due to injury means that they won without a fight and no substitutes are needed.

(End of this chapter)