Indian Wells Tennis Gardens And BNP Paribas Open Sold
INDIAN WELLS – The Indian Wells Tennis Gardens and BNP Paribas Open were both sold to the co-founder and CEO of Oracle Larry Ellison, who has now formed Tennis Ventures, LLC.
Ellison purchased 100% of the assets from Charlie Pasarell and Raymond Moore, previous owners, as well as from George Mackin and Bob Miller of tennis.com, the United States tennis Association, and tennis legends Pete Sampras, Chris Evert, and Billie Jean King.
“I am very excited to become the new owner of the prestigious BNP Paribas Open,” said Ellison. “Anyone who knows me knows that I love the game of tennis. I play it regularly, watch it frequently, and now look forward to being in Indian Wells every March to host the greatest players in the world. This tournament has an incredibly solid foundation, including one of the best venues and management teams, and I intend to build on that and continue the vision of being one of the greatest international sporting events worldwide.”
The tournament originally came to the Coachella Valley in 1976, and in 1981 Charlie Pasarell became Tournament Director. He and Moore formed PM Sports Management in 1985 and have since been owners and managing partners.
“As we embark on the 35th anniversary of the BNP Paribas Open and the tenth anniversary of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Raymond, the previous owners and I are thrilled to have Larry Ellison as the new owner,” said Pasarell. “He is as passionate as we are and desires to continue with the vision and the goals we have established.”
They will continue to manage the event and the Indian Wells Tennis Garden for Tennis Ventures, LLC. Steve Simon will continue as Tournament Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and former owner George Mackin will be Director of Sponsorship Marketing.
The PNB Paribas Open will go on March 8-21 at the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens.
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