Miami Open experience offers a ton of fun but still room to improve for fans

One of the fun perks of having covered tennis for a decade is that I sometimes get to attend the tournaments in person. I took in the second half of the “Sunshine Double,” the Miami Open last week, hosted by Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins.

While it was fun, for the most part, it also presented a few challenges. Here are my thoughts on the in-person experience.

Matches are so much better in person

It’s much more exciting to watch the matches in a live setting where you are part of a crowd of tennis enthusiasts. Even if you can get to smaller tournaments or get tickets to the side courts (which have many of the great players earlier in the tournament), it’s worth it. All the players hit the ball and cover the court so much faster than it comes across on TV.

I remember watching Roger Federer years ago and being shocked by how much faster he played IRL than on TV at home. I had the same feeling when watching Novak Djokovic. And it’s always a thrill to see one of the legends IRL. Other players who were thrilling to watch included Taylor Fritz and Aryna Sabalenka (an incredible powerhouse).

Food and drink

Although Hard Rock Stadium comes across as a bit overwhelming for a tennis tournament, the venue does have an excellent food selection on hand. I was given a $20 daily stipend for food each day and was shocked that it covered my selection at Benihana! I got myself a hibachi steak bowl on the first two days and a shrimp one on the last day. I met one of the chefs and can attest that they really do hibachi grill these dishes right there on the premises.

If you are looking for a bargain way to enjoy hibachi, the station at Hard Rock is a fantastic start. Benihana was my go-to food stop, and there were plenty of other options, including Little Caesars Pizza.

Other stadiums may offer the standard beer and basic wine bar, but Hard Rock stepped it up all over the campus. The bars in the stadium offered glasses of Piper Heidsieck and Santa Margherita, which could also be found in their garden bars outside in the plaza. I walked past the Piper pop-up and took in a performance by a violinist. It was a classy break from the grunting on the tennis courts. The Piper offerings were a bit expensive for my taste, but I opted for the complimentary champagne bar at the VIP entrance to the Grandstand (never turn down free champagne!).

Best way to see your favorite tennis stars

I used the Miami Open app for scheduling, which I found very organized. It was especially helpful in determining the practice sessions for all the players. The app allowed me to easily navigate each day’s practice sessions and I was lucky to see Grigor Dimitrov and Sabalenka practice. During the session I watched, Saba trolled Dimitrov a little bit, from the court next door — she really is a lot of fun. You get to be so much closer during these sessions, so it’s worth it to skip a match or two to get that opportunity for some of the greatest players.

Djokovic has the best reputation among the fans at these sessions. Everyone I spoke with said he is the nicest and friendliest in person and almost always takes pictures with fans — especially kids — and signs plenty of autograph balls.

Hard Rock Stadium campus layout

The stadium seems a bit big for a tennis tournament, and in fact, the seating footprint is really a temporary stadium built within the main one (filling a tennis match just isn’t the same as a football event). But the viewership of the matches was good from any seat, really. I preferred the Grandstand and the Butch Bucholz courts, where plenty of big names played throughout the tournament. I got to see Emma Raducanu, Matteo Berrettini and Taylor Fritz play up close from front row of the secondary courts.

Some people said that the brash orange and turquoise motif are a bit much, but I didn’t mind the color scheme. To me, they’re Florida and have a kind of bright beauty. I really dug the layout of the plaza, which had plenty of covered chairs for big-screen viewing (and sun glare), the wine gardens were lovely, and I enjoyed the Women’s Empowerment panel featuring Martina Navratilova and influencer Morgan Riddle. I walked past the glass-enclosed Padel courts, which were also very pretty.

Youth movement was alive and well

If there was a question of who would take over from the Big 3 (Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic), we saw a lot to be excited about in Miami. Same with the post-Serena Williams (who was in the house for a Djokovic match!) era. On the men’s side, there was no question about Jakub Mensik’s talent since he beat the legend Djokovic himself in the final. But there was also João Fonseca’s rousing match against Alex de Minaur that packed the stadium. Fonseca’s got a huge following already and his matches are big draws for the Tour.

For the women, Raducanu seemingly staged her comeback in Miami, and Alexandra Eala’s positive vibes are exactly the kind of energy we’ve been waiting for in the WTA. Jasmine Paolini was fun in both her matches and during her practice sessions, where she generously hit a lot of signed balls to her fans (she is every bit as cool and sweet as you would imagine IRL).

Where Miami Open can improve

I read about Boris Becker complaining that the tournament needs to move. Several fans who loved the tournament when it was staged at the mythical Key Biscayne venue aren’t happy with the move to Hard Rock, and probably never will be. The tournament had no choice in the move from Crandon Park (who was inflexible with change) and tournament director James Blake has really tried to make Hard Rock work for them. It would be a shame for Florida (with such a large tennis community) to lose a Masters 1,000 event, so hopefully, that won’t happen.

But the rain delays were a huge problem. It’s South Florida, so rain is inevitable and usually lasts just a short while in such a humid climate. But this year, the rains seemed to go on and on, and the schedule was complete chaos towards the end of the tournament. Worst of all was the delay for the men’s final. It’s a borrowed stadium, so they can’t really add a retractable roof, but the damp floor became a huge liability. Even when the rain stopped, players had to wait a long time for the ground to dry, due to the soaked grass underneath.

The event hit record attendance, with 405,448 spectators over the course of two weeks; however, I saw many empty seats throughout the week and a half, with maybe just a few marquee matches packed. In such a tennis-loving area, you would think it would have played to greater capacity. I do think that this stat will improve, as it has continuously done since it’s moved to Miami Gardens.

Parting thoughts

Overall, I was impressed with my Miami Open experience and hope they can make some improvements that will not only make the tournament an even greater success, but also help to make the case that it should stay in Florida. It has a bright, tropical beauty that I also admire.

There were tons of celebrities in attendance, including Jon Bon Jovi, Jake Bongiovi, Millie Bobby Brown, Juan Martin del Potro, Roger Goodell, Serena Williams, to name just a few. And both the women’s and men’s finals exceeded expectations, with Sabalenka displaying her powerhouse awesomeness, and Mensik’s fearlessness. Both were deserved and exciting players. Happy 40 years Miami.

Next year’s Miami Open will take place March 15-29, 2026.