After a subpar start to the season, third seed Coco Gauff arrives at the Indian Wells with the hunger to turn it around and take center stage in what she calls a “paradise of competition.” And, it’s not an overstatement, is it? The Indian Wells is indeed a paradise. The scorching sun dominates the daytime, and the night puts the desert into an icy embrace. While rainfall is a rare spectacle, a few drops often seem to gatecrash the first fortnight of March, halting play. No other venue can beat that! But if Coco were to craft her own paradise event, what would it look like?

Widely regarded as one of the most prestigious venues in all of tennis, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden stands as a true marvel. Home to the world’s second largest outdoor tennis stadium, with the 16,100-seat Stadium 1 and the impressive 8,000-seat Stadium 2, this 54-acre tennis paradise offers an unrivaled experience. The venue provides a haven for athletes and fans, encompassing 29 regulation hard courts, an elegant member lounge, and state-of-the-art fitness and locker room facilities. More than just a venue, it plays host to a dazzling array of sports and entertainment events, headlined by the BNP Paribas Open: the largest combined men’s and women’s professional tennis tournament on the planet. 

But Coco Gauff’s dream event would look different, probably even better than BNP Paribas. The 20-year-old recently provided insight into her aspirational tournament concept: a dynamic synthesis of high-stakes competition and local celebratory atmosphere, where tennis becomes as captivating as ever.

Gauff, who recently made headlines at the Oscars, talked to Brody from Broadcast Boys, where she was asked to design her dream paradise tennis tournament. With her signature charm and creativity, the 2023 US Open champion painted a picture of a high-energy, star-studded event unlike any other. Set in Atlanta, the tournament would feature Zendaya as the ultimate courtside celeb, while Childish Gambino’s music would set the vibe. The courts? A bold and striking purple and black. The stakes? Sky-high, with a $10 million grand prize. 

And, of course, Gauff’s slam would have a name fitting for the occasion: “The Hot Girl Slam”. In addition, keeping things fast-paced and electric, it would be a 3-day showdown starting from the QF, with doubles absolutely in the mix. To top it all off, the ever-entertaining ‘Tyler, the Creator’ would serve as the color commentator, ensuring the tournament is just as thrilling off the court as it is on it.

Alongside the American, current top-seed Aryna Sabalenka also participated in the fun of crafting her version of a tennis paradise during the interview. With her signature boldness, she took things to another level, jokingly envisioning a staggering $8 billion prize pool for her dream event in the California desert—an amount that would shake up the entire tennis fraternity.

Getting back to Coco, as the BNP Paribas Open sets the stage for another thrilling battle, her genuine moment of reckoning may come on home soil, where the tournament will be more than just another stop on the tour; it will be her proving ground after a very ordinary season so far.

“The results will come,” Hopeful Coco shared her feelings before Indian Wells

Coco Gauff is currently struggling with her form on the WTA Tour, having suffered three consecutive defeats in straight sets. Her slump began with a quarterfinal exit to Paula Badosa at the AO, followed by defeats to Marta Kostyuk in the Qatar Open (6-2, 7-5) and McCartney Kessler in the Dubai Open (6-4, 7-5): a stark contrast to her blistering form in late 2024, where she conquered the China Open and the WTA Finals. Yet, despite the setbacks, Coco remains unshaken and locked in, ready to reignite her fire under the California sun.

While talking at the pre-match press conference, she said, “I don’t know, everybody makes a bigger deal than what it is… I lost two matches. I’ll lose more matches back to back, it’s going to happen. To me, for me, I guess it feels like a month but it’s just two tournaments, and at this calendar, I have so many other opportunities, and I can’t win every match. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen too many times in my career. You know the results will come. It’s, you know, just normal, I think.” 

Coco will face the Japanese player Moyuka Uchijima in her second outing after defeating British player Emma Raducanu in straight sets yesterday. Are you backing her to go all the way and win the title at the Indian Wells?