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The Miami Open tennis tournament, also referred to as the Miami Masters, is a relatively young tennis tournament, but one of the biggest of the year.
For the men, the event qualifies as an ATP Tour Masters 1000, and for the women as part of the WTA Premier Mandatory series of tournaments.
Below, you’ll learn everything a tennis fan needs to know about the Miami Open, including where to get tickets, the best places to stay, how to watch it from home, and more.
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Table of Contents
2021 Miami Open: COVID-19 Update
About the Miami Open
How to Get Tickets to the Miami Open
The Best Places to Stay in Miami Gardens for the Miami Open
Getting Around Miami Gardens
How to Make Your Miami Open Experience Great
How to Watch the Miami Open on TV
Last Updated: April 6, 2021
Miami Open by Itau, which is their sponsorship company, has only been around since 1985.
It’s had a few different locations, including Delray Beach, Boca West, and Key Biscayne before landing in Miami in 2019. It’s the second of the two “Sunshine Double” events because it’s paired close to the Indian Wells Masters which takes place in California a few weeks before.
The tournament is held in Miami Gardens, Florida, at the Hard Rock Stadium. This is also the location where the Miami Dolphins play football during the NFL season.
The Miami Open is held right after the Indian Wells Masters in March. These two tennis tournaments are often referred to as the “Sunshine Double.”
Miami is the last tournament before the clay-court season begins, which starts with the Monte-Carlo Masters tournament in April. It’s a 13-day event that attracts at least 300,000 tennis fans to the Miami area.
For 2020, the Miami Open was canceled due to Covid-19 concerns. The 2021 Miami Open was held from March 22nd – April 4th.
The dates for the 2022 Miami Open tournament have been set for March 23 – April 3, 2022.
The current champions for 2021 are the following:
The court surface they install at the Hard Rock Stadium is a hard outdoor court, Laykold. It’s constructed over a concrete surface specifically for the Miami Open. It’s been their preferred surface since 1985.
The total prize money for the 2021 Miami Open was $6.68 million USD (down from $16.7 million in 2019).
Here are the ranking points for the Miami Open.
| Men’s Singles & Doubles | Women’s Singles & Doubles | |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | 1000 | 1000 |
| Finals | 600 | 650 |
| Semifinals | 360 | 390 |
| Quarterfinals | 180 | 215 |
| Rd. of 16 | 90 | 120 |
| Rd. of 32 | 45 singles | no doubles | 65 singles | 10 doubles |
| Rd. of 64 | 25 singles | no doubles | 35 singles | no doubles |
| Rd. of 128 | 10 singles | no doubles | 10 singles | no doubles |
The best way to get tickets to the Miami Open is through the official Miami Open website. There are many seating options, with the Main Stadium court that holds 14,000 people and a smaller Grandstand court which holds 5,000. In addition to this, Court 1 has 3,000 seats and BB Court has 1,500 seats.
There are also 18 outside courts which are part of the Open Grounds tickets. There are single-session tickets, duration plans, and mini packages available depending on how many days you want to attend the event.
You can also buy tickets on Ticketmaster and StubHub for the Miami Open.
The hotel options are plentiful in every price range for the Miami Open. Miami is a huge city with a large hotel capacity. Keep in mind that the city where the Hard Rock Stadium is located is Miami Gardens which is about 20-30 minutes away by car from downtown Miami or South Beach.
For high-end hotel options, consider these options:
If you are going to go high-end, the travel distance is at least 10 miles away to North Miami Beach where there are a variety of five-star options.
A few budget-friendly hotels to consider:
Airbnb is very popular in the Miami area because tourists come year-round to visit. You’ll find entire apartments, people renting out rooms in their homes, and smaller hotels that put up rooms on Airbnb.
The best way to get around Miami is via Uber or a rental car. Uber even has a dedicated parking lot pick-up and drop-off point at the stadium.
For public transportation, you can go with the Metrobus from Miami Beach, or the Metrorail train service which runs through the city of Miami.
Keep in mind traffic can be a factor in Miami getting to the stadium via any major highway.
The layout of the Hard Rock Stadium includes four main competition courts.
Plus, there are 18 outside courts to walk around and see the various players from all over the world in action. It’s all going to be outdoors with lots of room to walk around the grounds within the Hard Rock Stadium’s large property.
You want to make sure you leave from any of the hotels pretty early to make it there on time. The gates open at 10 a.m. Traffic is definitely a factor to deal with in Miami.
You’ll want to have time to walk around and enjoy all the tennis festivities. They have special days during the tournament like “Kids Day” and other exhibitions going on.
The Hard Rock Stadium has very specific rules about bringing things in. You can only have a small clutch or handbag that is about the “size of your hand.” Or you can bring a clear plastic PVC bag or one gallon-sized freezer bag.
Otherwise, it’s probably just best to keep your wallet, keys, and anything else you may need in your pockets.
Make sure you are loaded up with sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, and comfortable walking shoes to get around the expansive grounds. It can get hot in late March and you may be sitting in the sun, so prepare accordingly.
Inside, there are plenty of food, drink, and shopping options to buy tennis-themed souvenirs from the event.
When you get tired of being out in the sun, there is a shaded garden plaza with open seating that has a gigantic video board that shows all of the main matches being played. That way you won’t miss any of the action when you need a break from the Miami sun.
You can watch the Miami Open on the Tennis Channel and Tennis Channel Plus (subscription required). When it gets closer to the finals, matches will usually be aired on ESPN or ESPN2.
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Will Boucek is the Founder & CEO of The Tennis Tribe. He has played tennis for over two decades, including in college. Will has worked with ATP & WTA tour players and coaches. He currently lives in Austin TX where he plays USTA leagues & tournaments, writes about tennis, and teaches doubles workshops.
