Here is the latest news on plans for 2021 Miami Open tennis tournament
Plans are moving forward to hold the Miami Open tennis tournament at Hard Rock Stadium from March 22 to April 4, but it will be with some modifications due to the pandemic.
Tournament organizers sent a notice to last year’s ticket holders on Wednesday announcing the elimination of the Stadium Court within the stadium. All matches will be played on the outside courts and the Grandstand Court will serve as Center Court.
In the coming weeks a decision will be made regarding in-person fan attendance for the outdoor courts.
Hard Rock Stadium has permitted 20 percent capacity (between 12,500 to 14,000 fans) for University of Miami football games, the Orange Bowl game and the National College Football Championship game.
The Miami Open, one of the sport’s top tournaments over the past 35 years, typically draws crowds of 300,000-plus over the two weeks. In 2019, the first year the event moved from Key Biscayne to Hard Rock Stadium, the total attendance was 388,734.
Nearly all the world’s top players normally show up, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena and Venus Williams, Novak Djokovic, and Naomi Osaka.
When the event was canceled last March, tournament director James Blake said: “We were looking forward to hosting another world-class event, but our priority remains the health and safety of everyone involved in the Miami Open, including the South Florida community. As a former player and now tournament director, I understand how disappointing it is for the players, fans, partners and tournament staff who worked tirelessly to get the site ready. We thank everyone for their understanding and support and look forward to returning to Hard Rock Stadium March 22 – April 4, 2021.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2021 at 7:31 PM.