New Tennis Stadium To Host Tennis Masters Series

Hispanic Times Magazine, March, 2000

When the first tennis ball is served on March 8, the 2000 Tennis Masters Series at Indian Wells, California, will be under way. Presented by Newsweek Magazine (formerly the Newsweek Champions Cup) -- the event will be played at the brand new Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

The season-ending championships will include both men and women competing together, for the Tennis Masters Cup. The event will run from March 8-19, 2000.

History of the event, known as the Tennis Masters Series -- Indian Wells, has recorded many notable champions, including Michael Chang (three times winner); Jimmy Connors (three times); Pele Sampras (twice); Jim Courier (twice), Boris Becker (twice); Marcelo Rios, Stefan Edberg, and Yannick Noah.

The event, now in its 25th year, began in 1976 as the American Airlines Tennis Games in Palm Springs.

The women's championship, which will conduct its 12th event at the spring matches, has past champions as Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, and Mary Joe Fernandez, who each won the event twice. Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport, last year's champion Serena Williams, and the world's #1 player, Martina Hingis.

Charlie Pasarell is tournament director of the Tennis Masters Series Indian Wells, the world's sixth-largest pro tennis event.

A native of Puerto Rico, Pasarell has also been primarily responsible for the tournament's new home, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. It is a $75-million, 189-acre complex, and will be completed just prior to the March 8 opening of the matches.

Charlie Pasarell and Ray Moore played in some memorable matches in productive tennis careers; and now they are producing memorable results off the court.

They are the guiding forces of P.M. Sports Management, Inc., which designs, develops, manages and markets sporting facilities and events. The company's centerpieces have been La Quinta Hotel Tennis Club and the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort, both in the desert resort area of California.

The new project at Indian Wells has a 16,000-seat main stadium and two smaller stadiums of 7,000 and 4,000 seats, among its 20 championship courts.

Tennis buffs may recall that in 1967, Pasarell was ranked No. 1 in the United States. He played on U.S. Davis Cup teams for five years; and known for his monstrous serve, he won two U.S. indoor singles titles, and was considered one of the world's best doubles players. He is a founding member of the Association of Tennis Professionals.

Ray Moore led South Africa to the 1974 Davis Cup title. A former ATP president, he seemed destined to remain a force in the running of tennis. Instead, also possessing sharp business acumen, he became involved in many exciting business ventures involving the establishment of hotel and resort complexes.