ATP: Will the Miami Open go to the Dolphins Stadium?

The future of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Miami could be in the end zone of the Dolphins. That’s what their owner, Steven Ross, is planning.

The Miami Dolphins have a unique selling point in the history of the National Football League, which is what the other teams in the world’s best league compete against each other every year – and sooner or later they fail: in the 1972/73 season, the Dolphins made the perfect season, Miami won all the regular season’s matches and also the big prize, the Super Bowl. Steven Ross was a fan of the renowned NFL franchise at the time, but since 2008 Ross has been the owner of the Miami Dolphins. The glorious days are long gone, under the aegis of Ross the Dolphins have not yet won a playoff game. The fans in Florida, already equipped with more comfort than those in New York City or Boston, wear it with a frame. And now and then they do without a visit to the Dolphins Stadium.

But that’s exactly where the aces of the ATP- and WTA-Tour are supposed to strike in not too long time. Steven Ross wants to bring the Miami Open to town, and traditionally the second ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the year is held on Key Biscayne. However, time has left its mark there, Miami is getting more and more behind in comparison with the event in Indian Wells. Measures to improve the infrastructure are only possible to a limited extent, and residents have little to gain from an expansion of the facility.

A migration of the entire event has been under discussion for a long time, Steven Ross wants to prevent this. In the large Dolphin Stadium, which has a capacity of 65,000 spectators, individual showcase matches are to be staged, while a spectacular tennis court is to be added to the grounds around the stadium.

The number of visitors proves that tennis in Miami still attracts a lot of visitors: In this year’s edition more than 300,000 tennis fans came to the combined women’s and men’s event.

Ryan Tannehill, the currently injured Miami Dolphins quarterback, who has enjoyed watching the tournament on Key Biscayne over the past few years, believes in his boss. Ross has proven time and again that he thinks in large dimensions. Hopefully the tournament stayed in Miami. That would be good for the city.”