The 2023 BNP Paribas Open recently ended, but the Indian Wells tournament will continue to make an impact by scoring for the environment.
“Can you believe that the 2023 @BNPPARIBASOPEN is over?” BNP Paribas Americas said on Twitter. “Furthermore, can you believe that a whopping 2,459 aces were served throughout the tournament? Our #Aces4Trees initiative will be planting 4,918 trees with @AmForestFndn!”
The title sponsor of the tournament, BNP Paribas, has found a way to link tennis with sustainability. For several years, it has backed the Aces for Trees planting program, and the 2023 tournament was incentivized similarly, according to the BNP Paribas website. Players had a chance to support the planet with every ace served throughout the tournament. That's because each ace resulted in the planting of two trees and an additional two trees stemmed from every social media share using the hashtag #Aces4Trees and tagging BNP Paribas on Twitter. That all adds up to the 4,918 trees mentioned above in a win not only for tennis but also the Earth.
Also known as The Indian Wells Masters, the BNP Paribas Open stands out as one of the biggest tennis tournaments excluding the four grand slam tournaments, according to Sportcal. As such, BNP Paribas hit single-day record attendance levels on March 11 with 61,000 fans flocking to the site.
Based on studies, the 2022 BNP Paribas Open benefited the Coachella Valley with a gross economic impact of more than $500 million, according to The Desert Sun. This exceeded the $400 million estimate from a similar study in 2017, the article said.
The BNP Paribas Open will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2024, also according to The Desert Sun.
The tree-planting beautification endeavor is in partnership with the American Forest Foundation, which identifies itself on its website as “a national conservation organization that works to empower family forest owners to make a meaningful conservation impact on their land.”
For several years the BNP Paribas Open has worked to reduce its environmental footprint through managing waste, working to conserve energy and choosing partners like Eventscape Flowers that focus on sustainability, according to its website.