Indian Wells, California – The Indian Wells, California tennis tournament will be called BNP Paribas for at least the next five years after French banks and event organizers announced their title sponsorship agreement renewal on Friday.
The tournament has grown quite a bit since BNP Paribas first signed 17 years ago, and has consistently attracted a large crowd at the Palm Tree-lined Indian Wells Tennis Garden, as event organizers call it “Tennis Paradise.”
Players have voted for their favorite ATP Master 1000 and WTA 1000 events for the past decade.
“When there’s a good marriage, you stick to it,” Jose Placido, CEO of BNP Paribas USA, said at a press conference. “We may have bumps on the roads and so on, but they have made it easy for us to become title sponsors, and we want to continue. Like a good marriage, you renew your vows every five years.
The financial conditions for the transaction have not been disclosed.
Assistant Tournament Director Peggy Michel said the key to staying on top is to keep looking for ways to improve.
“Our motto here is that we’re not satisfied,” Michelle told reporters. “We don’t have to be glory, so we start planning every year, and as soon as the year ends, we start planning for next year.
“The most important thing is that we take care of our sponsors, take care of our players, and take care of our patrons who buy tickets. We see all these different aspects.”
The tournament and Indian Wells Tennis Garden were transformed after being purchased in 2009 by American billionaire and tennis enthusiast Larry Ellison.