Famous at Indian Wells

That one time at Indian Wells

6 Hours of Fame

I was famous for 6 hours.

And I hated it.

At Indian Wells in 2023, I sat front row for Borna Coric vs. Alex Molcan, right behind Coric’s bench. Don’t worry if you don’t know these players. What matters is that I was team Borna. But down a set and a break, he smashed his racket after a bad miss, and sadly went on to lose the match.

As he packed up his bag, he looked at me with the smashed racket in hand and asked, “You want it?”

I was so shocked that a Top 20 player just talked to me that I couldn’t get a single word out of my mouth. Frozen, I nodded quickly and he tossed it to me. Wow!!

Coolest. Souvenir. Ever.

As I filed out of Court 7 and into the main walkways, I was immediately swarmed. Dozens of people came up asking whose racket it was and how I got it.

At first it was exciting. I was popular! And had a cool story to tell! But quickly the attention got overwhelming. I started to hate having every person within 20 feet of me staring, pointing and whispering. I could feel every pair of eyes on me.

I knew I shouldn’t be self-conscious (or annoyed) — they were just staring at the racket. But going from just another invisible fan in the crowd to suddenly being noticed everywhere was crippling. There were even annoying moments like this:

I found myself dodging eye contact, walking faster, and even holding the racket lower to make it less noticeable. But no matter what, someone was watching.

This was just a tiny taste of public attention—one afternoon, a few hundred people.

I started thinking: If I can’t handle six hours of this, how the hell do people like Serena, Fed, and Rafa deal with it every day? They so much as step outside, and people start screaming, asking them to sign their forehead, and proposing. It’s a different reality.

Of course, I love the souvenir. I love the story. I’ll be a Coric fan forever. And if I didn’t already love Indian Wells, it would hold an even more special place in my heart.

But if the experience taught me anything, it’s that attention—however exciting at first—can be exhausting. Of course, you’ve likely heard a rendition of this before. But it’s different to actually experience it.

Now the battered Wilson Ultra hangs above my desk at home. I think it has hopes of being Borna-gain into a brand new, beautiful racket.

Not a chance.

Trivia

Which of the following tech billionaires owns the Indian Wells Tennis Garden?

A. Jeff Bezos

B. Bill Gates

C. Larry Ellison (Oracle)

D. Steve Ballmer (Microsoft)

Find out at the bottom!

Meet the Player

Maria Sakkari

From: Greece 🇬🇷

Best Slam Result: Semi-Finals (2x)

Career High Ranking: 3

Fun Fact: Her traps (shoulder/neck muscles) are bigger than yours

Game Analysis: You’ll need an oxygen tank while playing Sakkari. The Greek’s game is predicated on her foot speed, endurance, and consistency — which means long, lung-busting rallies. That said, she’s vulnerable on fast courts, where her heavy-topspin groundstrokes don’t do as much damage.

Career Prediction: 2025 is a re-building year for Sakkari. She shut down her 2024 campaign early due to a shoulder injury, and is ranked outside the top 25. How much she plays this year & her results will be a good indicator of her health — and if she’s got a shot at making back into the Top 10. Time will tell.

In case you missed it

Week 1: Indian Wells Top Stories

🇳🇱 Double Dutch Destruction. Dutchmen Botic van de Zandschulp and Tallon Griekspoor decided that last week was the right time for a coup. The two did the field huge favors by taking out 5-time champ Novak Djokovic and No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev — busting the draw wide open. Botic, who contemplated retirement in early 2024, has now beaten Alcaraz, Nadal and Djokovic in the last 8 months. What’s more, he was a lucky loser this year at Indian Wells, meaning that he lost in the last round of qualies, but still got into the main draw because someone else withdrew. Talk about taking an opportunity.

🇯🇵 Dream Run #1: Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki has made a dream run into the fourth round, beating Alexander Bublik, Tomas Machac and Frances Tiafoe along the way. Ranked 349 in the world, Watanuki became the lowest ranked player to make the fourth round in the desert since tournament director Tommy Haas did in 2004. The 26 year old will battle red hot Tallon Griekspoor today for a spot in the Quarters. Fact: Watanuki lists “sleeping” as one of his hobbies on his ATP player profile. Hell yeah brother.

🤠 Dream Run #2: 22 year old Washington native Colton Smith also made a dream run in what was just his first ATP tour level event. The University of Arizona senior won two rounds of qualies (beating Fabio Fognini along the way), then upset World No. 40 Flavio Cobolli to get his first ATP Tour win. His run ended with a loss to fellow American Alex Michelsen. We’ll likely see much more of Smith in the years to come. But for now, he’s got a beer pong game to play and a thesis to write.

Answer

C. Larry Ellison

Mike Tyson asking the founder of Oracle, “so there’s no physical contact? Not even a little jab when they cross the net?”

Bonus

Good luck returning a Ben Shelton slider out wide!