Last year the Miami Open said farewell to its home of Crandon Park Key Biscayne. All in all it was a bitter sweet moment for fans and players. After 32 years in Crandon Park, many players or fans are not ready to leave the grounds of Key Biscayne. I mean who wouldn’t the place is paradise. This tournament has now become a staple of Miami life style. However, because of recent expansions of other tournaments, like Indian Wells, Miami Open has been looking to expand in order to keep up with competitors. However, they were unable to expand in Key Biscayne do to legal wranglings and environmental concerns. Therefore, for the 2019 tournament Miami Open will be located in Miami Gardens where the Hard Rock Stadium is located.
What to Expect
Because of its new location, many players and fans are concerned with the intimacy that this tournament can provide. Playing in a stadium that holds 65,000 may lose its charm that Key Biscayne was able to fulfill. Tournament Director James Black has informed many news outlets that they will not be filling the stadium to its full capacity. In order to keep that intimate feel with the players and fans, only 14,000 of the 65,000 seats will be filled.
All in all one can see that this tournament will be a better experience for the fans and players. Fans will expect and easier flow when it comes to finding parking. General admission parking more than doubles from 2,500 spaces to 5,166. Premium parking increases from 2,043 to 3,061. And there are 10 times as many overflow spots – from 904 to 9,232. The stadium offers luxury suites. As for the players, Players will be pampered with 30,000 square feet of dining space (more than triple what they have now), a 10,000 square-foot gym (more than triple the size of the current space), 17,000 square feet of locker space and triple the lounge space.
Yes, it is a bitter sweet moment for locals tennis fans in Miami, however its time for some change in Miami. Locals are excited to see the new and improved Miami Open!
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