Nothing Finer Than Weekday Tennis in the Desert

Martin Parr missed the point. While his tennis photography is iconic, photographing the Grand Slams misses the true heart of tennis culture. The Slams are for show; their prestige (and prize money) commands peak effort and passion from the players, and the fans are there to be entertained. Indian Wells is different.

By Bryson Malone

11:49 AM EDT on March 12, 2025

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While the weekends at Indian Wells attract the LA crowd and all of their LA-ness, the weekdays are a glimpse into the essence¹ of American tennis. Weekday fans come to play, waking up early to beat the desert heat and get on court with old friends². This is the version of tennis that I, and so many others, fell in love with as a kid. I went to Ruth Hardy park in search of this soul³, and was immediately welcomed into a magical circle of friends, each with their own story, but brought together by tennis. I came in with a racquet and a camera⁴, and left with a full heart and sore calves.

Andre was the first person I met at Ruth Hardy. “If you’re new to tennis, you should not be allowed to touch a racquet until you learn respect and etiquette,” he says.

Caroline played in college and on tour, traveling the world with no coach and living out of her backpack. She would camp in public parks while playing tournaments, spending her off-days backpacking and exploring. She now lives in Seattle, and travels with her husband out of a van. After a few hours of intense hitting (that felt more like training), she was off to Zion National Park to meet up with her son.

Philip founded Magnum Films and is a legendary film director who has worked with everyone from Walt Disney to Muhammed Ali to President Jimmy Carter. I sat with Phillip as he told me stories of the early Magnum days, recounting tales of some of my heroes like Henri Cartier Bresson and Rene Burri.

Twan's catch phrase is “better to be lucky than good!” and he is constantly talking shit with a big smile on his face. He thinks these photos will make him famous, and I really hope he’s right.

¹Portraying tennis at the Slams is like trying to explain the soul and cultural impact of music by showing someone the Grammy’s. And, similarly to music, the soul of tennis exists on the fringes

²Everyone is friendly, but you better make damn sure to follow the rules and be out here with a good attitude

³Ruth Hardy goes beyond the park: you’ll often find this crew at lunch after a good morning hit

⁴Most of photography is just developing empathy, and this was a shoot where my gut told me that the best thing I could do was to put down the camera and pick up my racquet.

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