Pickup Soccer Games Unite Tennis Rivals at BNP Paribas Open

Year after year, pick up soccer games break out near the practice courts of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Tennis rivals on the court often join together to kick the ball around and have fun.

“Well, as far as I have seen over the years, more or less everybody is playing,” World No. 1 Novak Djokovic said.

The Serb headed a pick up soccer game on Friday, shedding his shirt as he traded hitting aces for scoring goals for a short time.

”(Soccer) is the most global, most popular sport in the world, so it’s obviously popular in tennis,” Djokovic said. “Because the goals are already there, so we get a ball and shoot and play a few games.”

“It’s, you know, part of this tournament, part of what this green area represents to players,” Djokovic said. “You know, not just playing football, but also warming up and cooling down. It’s really nice.”