"If you watched João Fonseca last night against Jannik Sinner, the Brazilian fans were incredible" - Indian Wells tournament director delighted with support for certain players

Former professional tennis player Tommy Haas has left his racket behind in favour of directing the Indian Wells tournament, doing the gig since 2016. He spoke on the controversial change to Stadium 2 while sharing his delightful thoughts on the packed crowds when certain players enter the fray.

Despite being busy running the show, the German found the time to appear on the Tennis Channel to answer a few questions. "It’s always a joy. My head is obviously full and fogged up with a lot of things going on in the past week and a half or so," he said.

"These are my favourite two or three weeks of the year as well, being out here at Indian Wells Open. It’s such a unique tennis experience. We’re always looking for new things that we can implement for the fans and for the players. So far it’s been great."

The biggest problem running the tournament: "The biggest headache for me is probably the scheduling," he stated. "Scheduling can be quite complicated at times, but we always try to find the best way possible to make sure the fans get to see everyone throughout these two weeks."

A whole heap of mixed praise from the players has been directed at the tennis balls at Indian Wells this week. Taylor Fritz was a high-calibre critic of the new Dunlop balls. Nevertheless, Haas was delighted to hear a good amount of positive stuff said by others. "So far, so good. The feedback has actually been really good," he acknowledged.

Being a former professional, he was always happy to test them out himself. "I try to go out there every once in a while to see and feel it myself. I think it’s great for the tours and for the players that they now have more consistency with the balls — playing the Australian Open with a Dunlop ball, coming here and playing with a Dunlop ball, and then continuing on in Miami Open."

It can be impacted by the conditions but this is not a huge side effect. "Conditions vary from week to week. The hard court here is a bit rougher and grittier, so the balls do puff up a little more, especially after long rallies and the way players hit the ball these days. You almost feel sorry for the ball sometimes! But it’s a very consistent ball in my opinion. We’ve had really good feedback so far. It’s a fair ball and I think it suits the conditions here."

The concern, highlighted above, was hitting it hard and playing on the front foot with these balls. However, these rumours were debunked by Haas. "If you play aggressively, you can still succeed. For example, if you watched Arthur Rinderknech play against Carlos Alcaraz, he played a very aggressive game and played extremely well. You can serve and volley, you can be aggressive, but these athletes move so well now that it takes precision and power to finish points early. So overall we’re really happy with it."

A change made to Stadium 2 at Indian Wells has not been met warmly by fans. In previous years fans could access the upper level with a grounds pass, but that has been abolished. Only people who have reserved or bought tickets can enter, leaving more empty seats.

Haas was open to reviewing and changing the rules. "We evaluate everything every year after the tournament to see what we can do better for the fan experience," he said. "Stadium 2 has become such a fan-favourite court — also for the players. A lot of players actually request to play there in the early rounds rather than on Stadium 1."

He offered a reason on why he did this. "But in previous years, if you only had a grounds pass and wanted to get into the upper level, the lines were just crazy. Sometimes you couldn’t even get in because top players were playing there. So we’re trying something different this year with reserved ticketing. After the tournament we’ll evaluate everything, get feedback from the fans, and then decide whether to continue this way or maybe go back to the previous system."

As has been the trend in recent times, some stadiums have been filled to the brim with eager fans wanting to watch their chosen player take to court. Philippine and Brazilians citizens have flocked in their numbers to get a glimpse of Alexandra Eala and Joao Fonseca, proving hugely positive for the tournament itself.

Haas admitted he had never seen anything like it. "It’s fantastic to see. It shows the growth and evolution of tennis around the world. It’s such a global sport, so seeing fans come out like that is amazing. If you watched João Fonseca last night against Jannik Sinner, it might have been the best hitting match so far on the men’s side. The Brazilian fans were incredible."

Not just on the men's side, but the women's as well with a younger generation helping grow the sport even more. "The same with Alex Eala and the Filipino fans supporting her. It’s fantastic to see the next generation getting that kind of support. You also see players like Victoria Mboko doing really well here. The young generation is really energising the tennis world, and that’s what it’s all about."

The tournament has really seen a focus on the mixed doubles competition, with a chance for many talented tennis players to play their trade in the tournament.

"It really started with the Tie Break Tens event we used to host. At first it was singles — men’s and women’s — but then we introduced mixed doubles and it really took off," the former world number two explained.

"Players loved it and fans loved it, and we had lots of players wanting to participate. That really sparked the idea of expanding mixed doubles here. During the second week, as the singles draws get smaller on the main courts, we wanted something fun and entertaining for the fans. Mixed doubles felt like the perfect addition."

The money and incentive to play more tennis in California are all tempting options for the players. "This year it’s probably the biggest mixed doubles event we’ve ever had, with a lot of prize money. Players also enjoy staying here in 'Tennis Paradise' before heading to Miami Open, so it gives them another incentive to stay, practise, and have some fun."

Some big talents will be in action. "We’re really excited about the names we have. For example Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas are playing together, and as you mentioned Venus Williams is partnering with Chris Harrison, who’s had a fantastic year in doubles."

In a tournament stacked with talent, it is very hard to see who will win the title. Nevertheless, Haas gave it a shot with some analysis of his own. "It’ll be interesting. When you look at players who have won here before, the conditions suit them very well. So you probably have to give Iga Świątek and Carlos Alcaraz a bit of an edge," he commented. "But there are so many great matchups coming up now. It really comes down to confidence and who takes advantage of the big points."

38-year-old Novak Djokovic came to mind. "It’s also great to see Novak Djokovic still playing at this level. Interestingly, he hasn’t had great results here in recent years at Indian Wells. But it’s good to see him finding ways to win matches again."

He was excited for his matchup against last year's victor. "His matchup with Jack Draper will be interesting as well. Jack is the defending champion, he’s had some injuries but he likes these conditions."

He finished by saying a piece on the world number one. "Of course on the men’s side Carlos Alcaraz is moving incredibly well and hitting the ball so fast on both sides. He hasn’t lost a match this year so far, and I’m sure he wants to keep that streak going."