Venus Williams and Grigor Dimitrov had contrasting results in the first round action of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. However, they both had one thing to blame following their tough matches.
Williams once again suffered a first-round exit, going down against French qualifier Diane Parry in a three-set battle. Meanwhile, Dimitrov ended up on the winning side after a three-set battle against Terence Atmane.
In their respective press conferences, both blamed the weather, which made the conditions “impossible” and “miserable.” The 45-year old Williams said:
“Well, I think today is not the kind of day that you want to assess. The conditions are impossible. Also, my match in Austin the conditions were impossible. I have played the last two matches in very difficult conditions. In Austin I refused to relent and change my game and I lost very quickly. Today I tried to adjust. It’s not easy. You can’t trust anything that you do out there. So you should get out there and play in that wind and you’ll tell me too if you can create some magic or if you can be perfect or not.”
Meanwhile, the Bulgarian pro really struggled with the changing weather of California.
“Horrendous day to play tennis. It looks very nice and beautiful with all the people but the weather made it miserable out there not going to lie. It was difficult on both sides,” he said.
Fans and players alike are dealing with rain, cold temperatures, and strong desert winds. The Indian Wells is known for gusty desert winds, which affect ball tosses, timing, and shot control. This weather is not new, though. Even last year, players had to deal with the changing weather in California.
Grigor Dimitrov to Play World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in Next Round at Indian Wells
Grigor Dimitrov has a tough path to getting to the Round of 32. Following his first-round win, the Bulgarian is scheduled to face the top-seeded player, Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard, who won the 2026 Australian Open, received a first-round bye since he’s a top-seeded player. The Spanish star enters Indian Wells in strong form and is considered one of the main contenders for the title.
Historically, Alcaraz leads the head-to-head 4–2 overall. However, Dimitrov could prove to be quite the challenge on hard courts. The match is scheduled on March 7.
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