INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – The ATP version of this is a lot more random, and it’s an area where the WTA Tour really does a superior job, as the media machine heats up for a big tournament.
The top seeds spent about two hours doing a sitdown with the media, as well as a whole bunch of TV interviews for local media, the Tour itself, and the tournament PR at the BNP Paribas Open stop. They also threw water balloons at the BNP Paribas mascot – although we were mightily disappointed that Samantha Stosur threw underhand. Wanted to see what those pecs could do.
The event is a pretty well-oiled machine although at times, in Montreal, they would have more than one player at a sit-down at one time, which makes it a bit of a scramble. At Indian Wells, it was just about perfect.
There was time with each seed; they followed each other, one after another, into the main room and then headed outside either before or after to do the other press. They also signed a bunch of promotional items.
The women weren’t as overdone as they can be for parties and other events; they looked simple, natural (many right off the practice court) and, to be honest, gorgeous up close. The informal setting, not being up on a dais looking down at a bunch of people and TV cameras, quite likely makes them more relaxed, too.
Oh, and the fact that the tournament hadn’t started yet and nobody had lost. 🙂
Victoria Azarenka, in particular, had a lot of interesting things to say and even waved off the WTA representative when he zoomed in to say “time’s up”. “I’m having fun!” she said. Unfortunately for her, the tennis thing didn’t work out quite so well because of her ongoing foot injury.
Here are some shots from the Indian Wells All-Access hour.
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