With the arrival of the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the season, one question inevitably resurfaces: is Indian Wells still the slowest hard court on the calendar?

Daniil Medvedev's now-iconic rant during his 2023 match against Alexander Zverev has already become part of tournament folklore.

"The ATP does a bad job checking the courts. This isn't hard court. They should just admit it's a very slow court. I know—I’m a hard-court specialist."

Following years of complaints from players, tournament organizers introduced a major change last season, replacing long-time court supplier Plexipave with Laykold, the company responsible for the surfaces used at several high-profile events, including the US Open and the Miami Open. The switch, however, did not produce the dramatic transformation many had expected.

According to Tennis Abstract, Indian Wells remained the slowest hard court on the ATP Tour in 2025. Only the Laver Cup registered a slower court pace, but as an exhibition event, it is generally excluded from official comparisons. This year, Indian Wells has once again become a testing ground. Laykold representatives say they have further optimized the court speed by adapting the surface to the unique conditions of the California desert, taking into account the region's low humidity, fine atmospheric dust, and significant day-to-night temperature swings.

The goal is to minimize what could be called the "desert paradox." In the thin desert air, the ball travels quickly through the air, but upon striking the court it slows dramatically while producing a much higher bounce. As a result, despite being a hard court, it often plays more like clay.

Temperature and tennis balls remain two additional variables that cannot be ignored. While players simply have to adapt to the weather, manufacturers continue searching for the ideal ball. Complaints about the balls extend well beyond Indian Wells. Earlier this season in Rotterdam, Alex de Minaur echoed many of the frustrations previously voiced by Medvedev.

This year's tournament is using Dunlop balls instead of the Penn balls employed in previous editions. Dunlop balls generally provide greater control, but that comes with an obvious trade-off: the more control a ball offers, the lower its speed tends to be, making it considerably harder to finish points with one or two aggressive shots.

The biggest influence may ultimately be the desert climate itself. Average temperatures during this year's tournament are roughly five degrees Celsius higher than they were during the same period in March 2025. The Court Pace Index (CPI) appears to support that theory. The CPI has risen from 30.9 last year to 38.7 in this year's event—the highest figure recorded at Indian Wells in the past decade. It is important to remember that the Court Pace Index reflects far more than simply how quickly the ball moves across the surface. It incorporates multiple factors, including weather conditions, court characteristics, and playing environment.

As a result, the 2026 edition of Indian Wells could become the fastest played here in the last ten years. Tournament organizers continue searching for the perfect balance between rewarding aggressive tennis and preserving the event's distinctive identity. Yet there is growing evidence that the desert itself remains the single most influential variable. After all, players competing in the afternoon and those taking the court during the evening session often describe what feels like two entirely different tournaments—even though they are playing on exactly the same court with exactly the same balls.