Tennis Stars' Extravagant Lead-Up to the BNP Paribas Open

Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe jetted to Puerto Rico, Coco Gauff dazzled in Hollywood, and two promising left-handed players were honored in a fashion magazine.

Prepare yourself for two thrilling weeks in Tennis Paradise! The BNP Paribas Open is bringing the crème de la crème of tennis, with exclusive coverage starting Wednesday on the Tennis Channel. This event is unique for its mid-week debut, as it kicks off the first joint ATP and WTA 1000-level matches of the year. Players enjoyed a three-day travel window to Palm Springs following two ATP 500s, a WTA 500, an ATP 250, and a WTA 250.

Here’s a glimpse of how some of tennis’s top names spent their time before heading to the California desert.

Coco Gauff turned heads over the weekend at the Oscars, gracing the Hollywood red carpet. “I’m just here for the vibes,” the world No. 3 quipped at the Academy Awards. She not only brought her mom along but also nabbed a photo with Serena Williams at the exclusive Vanity Fair afterparty.

While Williams mingled with real-life royals over the weekend, tennis crowned its own royalty in the latest Vogue issue. The magazine’s March 2025 edition hailed Jack Draper and Ben Shelton, two of the tour’s most dynamic left-handers, as ‘Two Princes.’

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe geared up for Indian Wells by playing some actual tennis. On Sunday, March 2, they faced off in “Battle of Legends,” a pre-Indian Wells exhibition match in Puerto Rico.

Before the “Battle of Legends,” Alcaraz made a pit-stop in Los Angeles to meet with his tattoo artist. Known for immortalizing his major victories in ink, the Spaniard took a turn as an artist himself at Ganga Tattoos, this time tattooing his tattooist.

Karolina Muchova stuck to her pre-Indian Wells routine, which included a cappuccino break at Everbloom Coffee, a mere 12 minutes from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. “Probably going to come back tomorrow,” she mentioned in her voiceover. Soon, we’ll see whether glitz, royalty, ink, and caffeine will fuel these athletes to victory at the prestigious 1000-level tournament.