In tennis, the Miami Open is one of the professional hard-court tournaments that is highly anticipated by fans. Happening in late March to early April at the Miami Gardens, Florida, and Hard Rock Stadium, this event is part of the ATP Masters 1000 on the men’s ATP Tour, and the WTA 1000 on the women’s ATP Tour. Moreover, it forms the so-called ‘Sunshine Double’ alongside the Indian Wells Open, which both happen in early spring.
Over the past years, there have been improvements in how organizers manage the Indian Wells and, recently, the Cincinnati Open. With this, a curious Redditor started a discussion on Reddit with a question: “Does Miami still deserve 1000 status?”
The Redditor expressed that people have been talking about the improvements made in other events, and with all the changes in the other 1000 tournaments, the Miami Open feels like a ‘second-class citizen’. The Redditor said: “I mean it’s played in the parking lot of an NFL stadium with the stadium court being shoehorned inside the NFL stadium.”
Moreover, he/she also stated some of the mishaps that had happened in Miami. It was stated that athlete Casper Ruud complained about the athlete’s condition at the said event. Furthermore, there were complaints about poor scheduling as well.
Other Redditors responded to the post with their own observations and opinions about the subject matter. The top comment stated: “I don’t really mind bad facilities, but I do mind a soulless tournaments, and the venue make the tournament feels tacked on.” This gained a response which remarked: “Kinda feels bad when you’re expecting a masters tournament but you end up sitting in a parking lot.”
Another Redditor commented about the venue of the Miami Open: “Miami really should improve their facilities, no doubt. It’s never going to lose its status, however.”
There is another comment stating that playing in a parking lot is absurd, and that the set-up— ‘a stadium within a stadium’—is not a good sight to see. More fans admitted that the previous locations of the tournament were a lot better.
One response shared: “At Crandon, it was an amazing tournament with outdated facilities. The stadium, locker rooms, and general facilities were old. But the aura, atmosphere, and location was amazing. You could walk with players to their court…. Once it moved to the parking lot of an NFL stadium, it lost all of that. The commute is somehow worse despite it no longer being on an island. The stadium court is AWFUL. Everything is hot because it’s A FREAKING PARKING LOT IN MIAMI. Construction everywhere getting ready for F1. It’s generally just not enjoyable.”
Another fan commented that the Miami Open should be downgraded to a 500, and tournaments in Halle and Berlin should be given a 1000 status.
Considering that the Miami Open is part of the ‘Sunshine Double’, a comment suggests: “Miami is a part of the Sunshine double, so I’d say that the tournament must stay, but further improvements are necessary.”
Despite the unfavorable comments, there were some who shared that their experience at Miami was one to remember. One commenter stated: “I’ve been to Miami, Indian Wells, and Montreal. Of those three, I think Miami is the best fan experience and has the best layout.”
