REPORTS: Indian Wells Tennis Event to be Cancelled For the Second Consecutive Year

The Indian Wells Masters, an elite event in the tennis calendar for both men and women, could be canceled for the second straight year.

Indian Wells Masters was not part of the 2020 tennis season

Also known as the BNP Paribas Open, the tournament was canceled this calendar this year owing to concerns around the novel coronavirus pandemic.

And word is that the event, which rakes in an estimated $400 million in revenue for local administrators, may not happen in 2021.

How the elite tennis event pushes local business

Hosted at the sprawling Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Los Angeles in March, the ATP Masters 1000 event pits the biggest stars against each other.

Two years of cancellation, coming on the back of each other, could potentially deal a huge monetary blow – in the region of $800 million – to the tournament organizers.

Read More: Indian Wells Masters 2020 Organizers Announce the Worst News of the Year

It would also hurt local businesses, which record a bump in sales and profit around the time the event is hosted.

The Indian Wells Tennis Garden recorded a net footfall of 475,000 during the event in 2019.

Price of cancellation of tennis event could be $800 million

Austrian Dominic Thiem is the defending men’s champion at the event, as he outclassed twenty-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in three sets to clinch the title.

A study funded by BNP Paribas and conducted by the George Washington University in October 2017 gave a sense of the extent of the business that rides on the event.

According to the study, local businesses grew richer by $262 million and more through sales pushed by visitors from out of town, vendors, sponsors and tournament organizers.

It is believed that an official announcement of the event’s cancellation for the second straight year would come soon.

While there’s no clarity yet on the reasons for the cancellation, daily Covid caseloads in the United States, which has touched record numbers in the recent weeks, could have a lot to do with it.

The men’s and women’s tours are currently working on plans to minimize the impact of the event’s cancellation on their revenue.