As if you need more reason to head to the desert of Southern California to watch the top men and women compete at one of my favorite tennis tournaments, I just received a press release stating that many of the top singles players are going to also be competing in doubles! Yep, it’s starting to look like the “fifth major” will be offering something a bit more special than it already does.
So who exactly will be playing singles and doubles at the 2012 BNP Paribas Open? Well, it’s gonna be good…
- World numbero uno, Novak Djokovic will team up with fellow countryman, Viktor Troicki. In 2011, the Serbian duo reached the quarterfinals.
- 2010 Doubles Champions, Marc Lopez and Rafael Nadal will again pair up to try to regain the title in Indian Wells.
- Andy Murray will also be competing again in the doubles draw, again with younger bother Jamie; the young Brits fared well last year reaching the quarterfinals.
- The other Andy (Roddick) will be pairing up with current top American, Mardy Fish. The pair have already won the BNP Paribas Open title in 2009 and are looking for another.
- First time top 5 singles player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will have a go at the doubles draw this year, he will be teaming up with Julien Benneteau.
- Of course, world #1 doubles team, the Bryan brothers will be seeking their first title at Indian Wells. Winning the title would certainly compliment their already impressive resumes.
- Alexandr Dolgopolov will again double up with Xavier Malisse to defend their 2011 BNP Paribas Open doubles title.
If you are a tennis fan, this is one heck of an opportunity to catch some of the worlds best tennis players compete in both singles and doubles…It’s like a blue moon.
The 2012 BNP Paribas Open is already one of the best tournaments in the world; having many of the singles players enlisting to play doubles makes this tournament even more spectacular to attend. If you have not attended this tournament before, you’re missing out.
The BNP Paribas Open is the largest ATP World Tour and WTA combined two-week event in the world, offers more than $11,000,000 in prize money, and is the only event to provide the Hawkeye line challenge system on all match courts. In 2011, more than 350,000 people attended the event (I was one of them). Visit www.bnpparibasopen.com to purchase tickets online and view the calendar of events, listing of main draw singles players, schedule of matches and more.