Cooking up comfort: WTA stars cherish escape from hotels and restaurants

Professional tennis players spend most of their careers living out of suitcases, constantly moving from one hotel to the next. However, at Indian Wells, many opt for a different experience—renting a house and enjoying a taste of domestic life. Iga Swiatek, Maria Sakkari, and Madison Keys share their thoughts on the benefits of staying in apartments or houses instead of hotels.

Iga Swiatek, known for traveling with many books and Legos, added something new to her suitcase for this tournament—a cookbook. Eager to test her culinary skills, she shared a lighthearted moment with the media after briefly delaying a press conference to finish something on her phone. “I found this recipe for pasta with lemon sauce and tuna,” she explained. “I want to buy tuna, but I’ve never bought tuna.”

The 2024 BNP Paribas Open champion’s culinary inspiration stemmed from her housing arrangement, a refreshing change from the usual hotel rooms. “I’m just trying things out because I have a good kitchen here,” she said. Looking ahead to her next kitchen experiment, she added, “Tomorrow I’m going to try to do a baked oatmeal with apple. That’s going to be the first time I’m going to do this, so hopefully it’s going to be fine.”

Last year’s semifinalist, Maria Sakkari, also embraced the opportunity to cook—along with her team. “My fitness coach has been trying to follow the glucose spike nutrition a little bit, especially now that we have the option of just making our own food at home,” she shared. The ability to stay in a house rather than a hotel room is one of the small but meaningful comforts that make the player experience special in the California desert.

The Greek player, who is joined this week by her sister and boyfriend, explained, “Don’t get me wrong, we stay in great hotels, but it does get a little bit tiring week after week. Having the option of cooking and making your own food and not having to go to a restaurant not knowing what you they put in your food.”

American Madison Keys, traveling with her husband and coach, Bjorn Fratangelo, appeared almost disappointed when asked about her accommodation. “I am in a hotel, thinking about doing a house next year,” she admitted. When pressed to elaborate, the Australian Open champion explained, “This kind of swing, there’s a lot going on, and it would just be kind of nice to have a little bit more of a level of comfort instead of just being in a hotel. We basically live in hotels. I think taking advantage of the weeks where you can have a house and you can kind of pretend that you have a normal life, I think it’s really nice to be able to take advantage of that.”

On Monday, Madison Keys will face Elise Mertens for a spot in the Round of 16, while Maria Sakkari will take on Coco Gauff. On Tuesday, Iga Swiatek will battle Karolina Muchova for a chance to advance.