The mixed doubles movement has made its way to the Fifth Slam.
The 2026 BNP Paribas Open, also known as the Indian Wells Open, announced a $1 million prize pool for its mixed doubles tournament this year, nearly tripling last year’s purse.
The tournament introduced mixed doubles in 2024 with a paltry purse of $150,000 before bumping that up to $370,000 last year.
The move comes just months after the 2025 US Open awarded a $1 million mixed doubles prize, up from $200,000 in 2024, in an effort to attract singles stars to the competition. It worked, as nearly every top 10 men’s and women’s singles player participated.
The participants for the mixed doubles at Indian Wells have yet to be revealed, though chief marketing officer Philippe Dore tells Front Office Sports that they are hoping the prize money attracts singles stars to the event.
“Part of our strategy is to have more tennis, because as we know, as we go into the second week, we start losing [players],” Dore says. The singles main draw starts March 4 while the mixed doubles starts March 10 to keep competition going around the nine-court venue during the tournament’s second week.
The US Open mixed doubles changes led to some controversy as true doubles pairings were unable to participate in the Grand Slam tournament in favor of the more popular singles stars. (The lone doubles-focused pair that participated, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, won the event. They also won Indian Wells mixed doubles last year.)
“We see it as a profound injustice, that disrespect an entire category of players. Put money above tennis is never a good idea,” the pair wrote on Instagram about the US Open mixed doubles in February 2025.
The 2028 Olympics is also looking to highlight mixed doubles tennis. According to tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg, mixed doubles tennis will open the Olympic tennis program during the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Australian Open Inspiration
Mixed doubles is not the only strategy the BNP Paribas Open is mirroring from a Grand Slam.
Indian Wells is also putting an emphasis on its opening week festivities, including a $10 qualifying day ticket that will allow fans to watch top stars practice on Stadium 1 and 2 courts for the first time.
The 2026 Australian Open promoted cheaper tickets and increased access for its qualifying week, leading to an 87% increase in attendance.
“We take quite a bit of inspiration with the AO,” Dore says. “Looking at those metrics and the festival atmosphere that they’re bringing, we like that.”
