Over the fortnight in Indian Wells, as players and fans alike fell away and moved on to other pursuits like a day job or the practice courts at the Miami Open, we at Racquet remained stalwart, watching the ebbs and flows of crowds and weather and wins and losses, like a time-lapse video slowed waaaay down.
Not that we’re complaining: despite bouts of rain and wind and frigid desert nights, sometimes Tennis Paradise was just plain paradise. There were mornings when we awoke to purple mountains sharpened against bright blue California skies, and the scent of sun-lifted grapefruit blossoms in the air. And you can’t overstate the soul-soothing effect of truly great avocado toast.