When your kid brother's named "Crash" and your idea of relaxing after a long day of practice is strapping on a helmet and flying around sand dunes as is the case for CoCo Vandeweghe, then you're an ideal candidate for some wild four-wheeling in the desert.

CoCo's driving pretty much resembles her playing: She's explosive, attacks the course and and indulges her need for speed.

"We get to go up the mountain range and come down so you can weave in and out and pretty much almost hit people or crash yourself," Vandeweghe said.

Though she was born in New York City, Vandeweghe grew up in California where she rode horses and played volleyball before turning to tennis full time.

"I play tennis for a living and most of the time you don't get to do anything that's fun and adventurous," Vandeweghe said. "I do anything from jumping off of a cliff in the water, but I won't do sky-diving or bungee-cord jumping — I'll refrain from that."

The 36th-ranked American is seeded No. 30 at Indian Wells. Vandeweghe will face either 2010 Wimbledon semifinalist Tsvetana Pironkova or a qualifier in her BNP Paribas Open opener.

Photo credit: @BNPParibasOpen