The Court's Low Desert Open returns to the middle of the California desert 

It seemed the world was down in the deciding set tiebreaker when the pandemic struck abruptly back in 2020. Although the unforeseen circumstances presented challenges and still is—the sport and the people that make up the game persevered. That's the thing about tennis players, they could be down match point, but they know it's not over until they're shaking hands at the net. Needless to say, the sport adapted quickly and turned the scoreboard around.

Tennis is thriving and during the first weekend of March this was front and center at The Court's Low Desert Open. Recreational tennis players of all levels and backgrounds descended on the beautiful four-court facility in the middle of the California desert to not only vie for the title, but to enjoy the atmosphere and conversation. While some competed to win, others just enjoyed sitting in on the action and relaxing poolside.

The weekend-long event isn't just any other tournament one can sign up for in the Southern California area. The Low Desert Open is giving life to a new generation of players and fans by offering a welcoming and inclusive environment. Odds are we've all walked into a tennis club and instantly felt intimidated and not qualified to step foot on the court. However, the LDO and similar events such as, Tenez the Tourney in Los Angeles are changing the dynamic of what tennis looks and feels like.

There's no shortage of frosty beverages, music and the most unique people at this event. One will meet a photographer, painter, stylist, writer and the list goes on during their time at The Courts, and this goes to show how paramount sport's lifestyle is. It's always been there, but the owners of The Courts Leah Goren and Adil Dara are scrapping off the mold one point at a time.

For LDO participant Luke Schmuecker, he can't believe a place like The Courts actually exists. It's a nostalgic place for the photographer that holds value in attracting a new generation.

"Tennis needs events like the Low Desert Open to keep pushing the lifestyle of tennis forward, and to attract the next generation to the sport," Schmuecker tells Baseline. "When I go to my tennis club I feel like I'm one of the youngest members there. When I was out at the Low Desert Open I was probably one of the oldest.

"Events like this and places like The Courts bring people in from different angles. Maybe they started getting into tennis because they saw the Sergio Tacchini x Brain Dead collab or maybe they follow cookbook author Molly Baz, and saw she went out and spent the weekend at The Courts a couple of weeks ago."

While Schmuecker saw plenty of the same faces that attended the last event, he was pleasantly surprised to see a good amount of new players. They weren't all from the Southern California area either, many traveled from other states just to participate. Tennis Channel even joined in on the action by serving as a sponsor this year. Official Tennis Channel hats were given to each player and winner/runner-up bags were gifted to competitors that fought their way through the draw.

Schmuecker is a big fan of the high-performance hats and believes the company might just be a part of the "cool club" now.

"I loved the Tennis Channel hats," he says. "It was amazing to see how many people took them out of their welcome bags and just put them and wore them for the weekend. To me it's brand building in a different way than being out at Indian Wells. The Courts crew is like a cult. Being out there shows you have your eye on the ball for what's coming next for tennis. It also gives you cool kid status."

As more players pick up a racquet, who knows maybe the Low Desert Open will need to be stretched across two weekends next year. From match point down in 2020 to major victories in 2022—the people that make up this sport are truly serving nothing but aces.