Fan-Friendly Additions Coming To BNP Paribas

Opening rounds for the BNP Paribas tennis tournament start this week and organizers say there are some new additions fans are going to love.

It didn’t take Patrick Miller long to notice the changes.

“The first thing I noticed was the corona over here,” said Miller, from Portland, OR.

What he’s talking about is the Corona Plaza.

Organizers added seating and fans can watch multiple matches on this new large monitor wall.

Across from the new viewing area is a new bar with extra seating and tv’s.

“I see the chairs I hadn’t noticed the chairs before so they’ve done pretty good job,” said Miller. “This is probably our favorite tennis tournament. I always done so well.”

“People are here for a long duration. it’s unlike a lot of events, people are here for the day so it’s great for them,” said Steve Simon, tournament director. “They can go get some lunch in the shade and have a picnic, can stay up on what’s going on with the tennis and it’s a great time for everybody.”

Organizers also added hundreds of new seats to smaller courts. The outer courts now seat more than 17,000 people.

Simon said the improvements don’t end at the seating.

Every court is now equipped with 10 cameras used for instant replays aimed at giving the fans, players and line judges at better look at the game.

“There’s a lot of the times where the calls are so close that you really don’t know what actually happened. But with way you get a more accurate vision of what actually happened,” said Mike Garcia, visiting the tournament from Downy, CA.

And all the new equipment will be put to use very soon.

Qualifying rounds start Monday and it’s free to public.