History
Considered to be one of the great major events including the Grand Slam tournaments, the Pacific Life Open has evolved into one of the elite international sporting events in the world today. Through the guidance of partners Charlie Pasarell and Raymond Moore, the construction of the state-of-the-art Indian Wells Tennis Garden (2000) and the addition of Pacific Life as title sponsor (2002), in 2004 the event attracted more than 267,000 fans in its newly expanded field of more than 250 of the world’s top men’s and women’s tennis stars. With the 30th annual Pacific Life Open set for March 7-20, 2005, the best is yet to come.
The tournament (formerly known as the Tennis Masters Series Indian Wells, Newsweek Champions Cup, Pilot Pen Classic and Congoleum Classic), has annually attracted the world's top ranked tennis players such as Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Monica Seles, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport and Serena Williams. It enjoys top status as an elite event on the ATP (ATP Masters Series) and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour (Tier I) calendars.
This tradition of strong player fields and well-known champions, coupled with world-class tennis facilities and the incomparable weather and scenery of the Coachella Valley in the Southern California desert, has fueled the Pacific Life Open’s emergence as one of the most prestigious on the tennis calendar and one in which winning is extremely important to a player's ranking and resume.
HUMBLE ROOTS
The Pacific Life Open’s roots can be traced to 1976 when the ATP fund-raising event was moved from Tucson to Mission Hills Country Club in the Coachella Valley for a successful five-year run. However, the event's connections with the Coachella Valley were nearly broken when the ATP considered moving it to a new proposed tennis stadium to be built near Disney World in Florida. Pasarell, a native of Puerto Rico who had been the No. 1-ranked player in the U.S., was then an ATP Board Member and the Director of Tennis at the La Quinta Hotel. He lobbied successfully with the ATP Board to keep the event in the Coachella Valley and with the owners of the La Quinta Hotel to build tennis facilities adequate for the event. Pasarell’s efforts resulted in the tournament moving to La Quinta Hotel, a new 7,500-seat tennis stadium being built to house the event, and a commitment being made to make the event "even better" in the future.
In 1981, the event moved into its new home at La Quinta Hotel with Pasarell as the tournament director. It enjoyed success in the following years and had several noteworthy finals, the most memorable being the 1982 championship when Yannick Noah ended Ivan Lendl's winning streak of 44 matches, two short of the men's record.
RAPID GROWTH
It was Pasarell’s goal for the tournament to grow into a truly major tennis event in which top men's and women's competitions would be conducted during the same time period. To fulfill this goal, he implemented a plan that was simple in concept and difficult in execution -- to build the event's popularity with the players, fans, sponsors and media through great facilities, attention to detail, strong competition, and wide print and broadcast distribution.
During the six years (1981 - 1986) the tournament was held in La Quinta, it became established as a very popular tennis destination for the players, fans, sponsors and media. In fact, the event achieved such success that it outgrew the tennis stadium and facilities at the La Quinta Hotel. If Pasarell’s goals were to be accomplished, if the event were to strive for "major tennis event" status, he needed larger, more modern and permanent tennis stadium and facilities.
To construct the necessary tennis stadium and facilities, Pasarell and long-time friend Ray Moore, formed a company known as PM Sports Management and created a team along with other investors, including Alan King, to design, develop and operate a luxurious resort hotel and tennis facility in nearby Indian Wells. Pasarell signed Newsweek as title sponsor and Indian Wells became home to the “Newsweek Champions Cup.”
GRAND CHAMPIONS
In 1986, construction was completed on the 350-room Grand Champions Hotel (now known as the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort). At its centerpiece were a 10,000-seat tennis stadium (with some 7,000 permanent seats), a 3,000-seat clubhouse court, a total of twelve courts, including two grass and two clay courts, a 3,000 square foot retail sport boutique, an 8,000 square foot convention center that serves as a media facility, player’s lounge and kitchen facility during the Tournament, and a 1.62-acre hospitality village. At the time it was completed, the tennis stadium and tennis facilities were truly state-of-the-art.
A NEW HOME
This success had its price, as the tournament quickly outgrew the Grand Champions grounds. Pasarell now dreamed of a new stadium that would serve as a showplace for the burgeoning event.
The development of the Tennis Masters Series coincided with the completion of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in 2000, bringing the tournament a new name (Tennis Masters Series Indian Wells) as well as helping it to reach new heights in attendance, prize money, television and print exposure, and international status. During its 30-year existence, tournament attendance has grown from 30,000 to more than 267,000; prize money has grown from $250,000 to more than $5 million; the television universe of the Tournament has grown from 25 million homes to nearly a billion homes worldwide; and the facilities have grown from 7,500 seats to a 20-court, 189-acre complex including 16,100-seat main stadium, two smaller stadiums, 44 luxury suites, nearly 6,000 box seats and first quality ancillary facilities.
An important piece in the puzzle was put in place in January 2002, when Pacific Life signed on as title sponsor. The support of Pacific Life and the dozens of other sponsors has been invaluable to the continued success of the Pacific Life Open.
BIGGER AND BETTER
The latest boost to the Pacific Life Open has come in the form of increased playing field, which has spawned the creation of additional days and sessions for a full two-week event. Now 20 sessions strong, the Pacific Life Open is rolling into its fourth decade on a high. With both the men’s and women’s draws now at 96, top players are in competition beginning the first weekend, adding to the excitement and the “Grand Slam” feel of the tournament.
