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Indian Wells has long been considered one of the slowest hard-court tournaments on the professional circuit—if not the slowest. The statistics have consistently reflected this reality for years.

New Surface, Old Reality: The Laykold Mystery

Last year, the tournament announced a significant change. It wasn't just a minor resurfacing; it was a major shift. The old Plexipave courts were replaced with Laykold, the same surface used at the US Open and the Miami Open.

On paper, the main takeaway was clear: Laykold courts are generally faster than Plexipave and produce a lower bounce. We expected the ball to travel faster off the surface and stay lower. However, reality told a different story. Despite the change, the tournament did not play faster. In fact, it played even slower.

The Tennis Court Speed Index (CPI) confirms this trend. In 2021, the index was 32.0. It rose slightly to 35.4 in 2023 and 36.9 in 2024, only to drop back down to 30.9 in 2025. To put that in perspective, those figures are only slightly higher than Clay M1000 tournaments, which usually sit in the high twenties.

Also, these were the Points Won on First Serve figures compared to previous years:

Based on this data alone, we cannot definitively conclude that Indian Wells was slower than last year, even though the difference versus 2024 is 2.6 percentage points.

However, if we also factor in the CPI and the players’ own comments (see below), it becomes difficult to argue that the 2025 courts were faster than in 2024. At best, they were similarly slow and more likely, they played even slower.

Zverev: "Is there a new surface? It seems the same to me, honestly. I trained here for four days and didn’t notice anything."
Alcaraz: "The court is more or less the same—very slow and with a lot of bounce. If they hadn’t told me they changed it, I would think it’s still the same."
Medvedev: "I don't notice any difference, but if I had to say something, I’d say it’s even slower than before."

2026: The Switch to Dunlop

If the surface change didn't speed things up, this year brings another crucial variable: The Balls. The tournament has switched from Penn to Dunlop.

Taylor Fritz has been clear about how this combination affects the game. According to Fritz, Dunlop balls tend to be slow, and on abrasive surfaces, they wear out and "fluff up" rapidly.

"In places like Delray, you play two games and the balls already look like balloons. You can’t hit a winner even if you hit it as hard as you can. They become huge," Fritz noted. "The issue isn’t the brand itself, it’s the combination of Dunlop and a slow court. The advantage is huge for players who move better, because you can’t hit winners and nobody makes mistakes."

A Hard-Court Version of Clay

Beyond the speed, the defining characteristic of Indian Wells is the height of the bounce. While the new ball might bounce slightly less than the Penn, the overall conditions remain extremely high-launching.

Novak Djokovic highlighted this specifically: "The ball bounces much higher on the center court than on clay courts. I struggled a lot with that; I couldn't find my rhythm." Other players have talked about this "clay-like" sentiment:

Tsitsipas: "The surface here is rougher on the top layer. It makes the balls bounce a little bit more and not slide as much. It reminds me a lot of clay. It literally feels like a hard-court version of clay."
Norrie: "The ball is bouncing; it is tough to finish points. It allowed me to stay relaxed and rip the ball."
Fils: "During the day it's a bit more intense... we were playing at hip height."
Shapovalov: "The court is pretty slow. It’s a good combo for me—I have time for my big wind-ups, but I can still play aggressive."
Shelton: "I think my serves get good bounces. I get liveliness out of the ball even when it is colder at night."

Conclusion: The Grinder’s Paradise

When you combine a naturally slow, gritty surface that “grabs” the ball with a new Dunlop ball that becomes heavier and fluffier after just a few games, Indian Wells starts to feel almost like a clay event.

Hitting clean winners will not be easy. Players who are comfortable in long rallies — especially grinders and heavy topspin hitters — should feel more comfortable in these conditions. It becomes more of a physical and mental battle than a display of pure power.

Qualifying matches start today, and I’ll be watching the early stats closely to see if they support this “ultra-slow” pattern. I’ll keep you informed.