# Miami Open (tennis)
**Miami Open presented by Itaú** is a two-week professional tennis tournament played each March at [Hard Rock Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/hard-rock-stadium) in [Miami Gardens, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/miami-gardens-florida), and is one of the combined ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 events on the men's and women's tours.[1](https://www.miamiopen.com/uncategorized/miami-open-begins-new-era-at-hard-rock-stadium/) • [2](https://www.wtatennis.com/news/4465196/miami-411-everything-to-know-about-the-2026-miami-open-presented-by-itau) Founded in 1985, it grew from a local tournament into an international event that brings the world's top players to Miami.[3](https://www.miamiopen.com/history/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1985; the 2019 edition was the 35th[3](https://www.miamiopen.com/history/) • [4](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/9ed2f279f88e4468b5ac9a4977669821.pdf) |
| Venue | Hard Rock Stadium, 347 Don Shula Drive, Miami Gardens, Florida, since 2019; previously Crandon Park Tennis Center, Key Biscayne, for 30 years[5](https://www.miamiopen.com/faq/) • [6](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2019/03/19/Events-and-Attractions/Miami-Open/) |
| Tour status | ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000; 1,000 ranking points to each singles and doubles champion[2](https://www.wtatennis.com/news/4465196/miami-411-everything-to-know-about-the-2026-miami-open-presented-by-itau) |
| Stadium court | 14,000-seat court built within the 65,000-seat football stadium, with tennis capacity set at 13,800[1](https://www.miamiopen.com/uncategorized/miami-open-begins-new-era-at-hard-rock-stadium/) • [6](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2019/03/19/Events-and-Attractions/Miami-Open/) |
| Prize money | 2026 total prize pool of $9,415,725; singles champion earns $1,151,380[2](https://www.wtatennis.com/news/4465196/miami-411-everything-to-know-about-the-2026-miami-open-presented-by-itau) |
| Draw size | 96-player singles draw: 75 direct entrants, 12 qualifiers, 8 wild cards, and 1 special exempt; 32-team doubles draw[2](https://www.wtatennis.com/news/4465196/miami-411-everything-to-know-about-the-2026-miami-open-presented-by-itau) |
## History
The tournament was founded in 1985 and spent three decades at the Crandon Park Tennis Center on Key Biscayne, where it became a fixture of the early-season hard-court swing.[3](https://www.miamiopen.com/history/) • [6](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2019/03/19/Events-and-Attractions/Miami-Open/) The ATP Tour credits it with strong standing among players and fans: it was named the ATP Masters 1000 [Tournament](https://www.edgepedia.org/tournament) of the Year from 2002 to 2006 and again in 2008, and the 12-day event has featured the world's top men's and women's players.[7](https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/miami/403/overview)
Among the tournament's records, on March 31 [Andre Agassi](https://www.edgepedia.org/andre-agassi) claimed his fifth Miami championship by defeating [Roger Federer](https://www.edgepedia.org/roger-federer) in four sets, matching his wife [Steffi Graf](https://www.edgepedia.org/steffi-graf) for the most titles the event has ever had.[3](https://www.miamiopen.com/history/)
## The move to Hard Rock Stadium
On March 19, 2018, tournament director [James Blake](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-blake-tennis), WME and IMG Co-President Mark Shapiro, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, and 23-time Grand Slam champion [Serena Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/serena-williams) broke ground on the new tennis facility at Hard Rock Stadium.[3](https://www.miamiopen.com/history/) The 2019 tournament, its 35th edition, opened there after 30 years at Crandon Park, following a $70 million transformation of the football venue into a state-of-the-art tennis facility inside and outside the building.[4](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/9ed2f279f88e4468b5ac9a4977669821.pdf) • [6](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2019/03/19/Events-and-Attractions/Miami-Open/) Sports Business Journal reported the 30-court venue was constructed at a cost of $71 million.[8](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2019/03/11/Events-and-Attractions/Miami-Open/)
**A stadium within a stadium.** The center court sits in the middle of an NFL stadium, a first for the sport.[8](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2019/03/11/Events-and-Attractions/Miami-Open/) Around the Stadium Court, fabric screens plus temporary grandstands built along three of its sides hide the majority of the seats that go unused, which lends the 65,000-seat building, configured to hold 13,800 for tennis, a more intimate atmosphere.[6](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2019/03/19/Events-and-Attractions/Miami-Open/) The move was not universally welcomed at first: Roger Federer, Serena Williams, and [Simona Halep](https://www.edgepedia.org/simona-halep) were among the stars with mixed reviews of the venue change in 2019, although Federer later described playing in the tournament's new home as a "very important moment in our sport's history" at the opening ceremony.[9](https://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2019/03/21/Miami-Open-Tennis-stars-have-mixed-reviews-of-Dolphins-stadium-venue/3931553177232/) • [10](https://seminoletribune.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/SeminoleTribune_March-29_2019.pdf)
Tournament director James Blake has said the move from Key Biscayne to Miami Gardens allowed the event to expand into a large-scale tennis festival.[11](https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2026/03/16/miami-open-food-beverage-tournament-tennis)
## Format and prize money
The Miami Open is a mandatory top-level combined event concluding the Sunshine Swing that begins at Indian Wells.[1](https://www.miamiopen.com/uncategorized/miami-open-begins-new-era-at-hard-rock-stadium/) • [2](https://www.wtatennis.com/news/4465196/miami-411-everything-to-know-about-the-2026-miami-open-presented-by-itau) The singles competition uses a 96-player draw in which the top 32 seeds receive byes into the second round, and 1,000 ranking points are available to the singles and doubles champions.[2](https://www.wtatennis.com/news/4465196/miami-411-everything-to-know-about-the-2026-miami-open-presented-by-itau) For 2026, the total prize pool was $9,415,725, with the singles champion receiving $1,151,380 and the doubles champions $468,200; first-round singles losers earned $24,335.[2](https://www.wtatennis.com/news/4465196/miami-411-everything-to-know-about-the-2026-miami-open-presented-by-itau) The ATP lists men's prize money of $9,193,540 for the event.[7](https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/miami/403/overview)
## The venue today
The tournament occupies a permanent tennis campus at Hard Rock Stadium with a total of 30 courts, highlighted by the 14,000-seat stadium court built within the stadium itself.[1](https://www.miamiopen.com/uncategorized/miami-open-begins-new-era-at-hard-rock-stadium/) The event's FAQ currently lists 27 tennis courts on site: 10 competition courts, including the Stadium Court and the Grandstand, and 17 practice courts open to ticket holders.[5](https://www.miamiopen.com/faq/) The 2026 edition ran March 15 through 29, and the 2027 tournament is scheduled for March 14 through 28, subject to change.[1](https://www.miamiopen.com/uncategorized/miami-open-begins-new-era-at-hard-rock-stadium/) • [5](https://www.miamiopen.com/faq/)
Recent editions have underlined the event's competitive weight. The 2026 women's field was slated to feature the entire top 10 in the PIF WTA Rankings, including past champions [Aryna Sabalenka](https://www.edgepedia.org/aryna-sabalenka) and Iga Swiatek.[2](https://www.wtatennis.com/news/4465196/miami-411-everything-to-know-about-the-2026-miami-open-presented-by-itau) Sabalenka won the 2025 title, her first in Miami, defeating [Jessica Pegula](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessica-pegula) 7-5, 6-2 at Hard Rock Stadium.[2](https://www.wtatennis.com/news/4465196/miami-411-everything-to-know-about-the-2026-miami-open-presented-by-itau)
## References
1. [Miami Open Begins New Era at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Open](https://www.miamiopen.com/uncategorized/miami-open-begins-new-era-at-hard-rock-stadium/)
2. [Miami Open 2026 411: Dates, draw format, seeds, wild cards and prize money, WTA Tennis](https://www.wtatennis.com/news/4465196/miami-411-everything-to-know-about-the-2026-miami-open-presented-by-itau)
3. [Tournament History, Miami Open](https://www.miamiopen.com/history/)
4. [Miami Open presented by Itau, ATP Tour media guide (2019)](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/9ed2f279f88e4468b5ac9a4977669821.pdf)
5. [Miami Open Frequently Asked Questions](https://www.miamiopen.com/faq/)
6. [Miami Open Begins New Era With Move To Hard Rock Stadium, Sports Business Journal](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2019/03/19/Events-and-Attractions/Miami-Open/)
7. [ATP Masters 1000 Miami Overview, ATP Tour](https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/miami/403/overview)
8. [Miami Open's big move, Sports Business Journal](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2019/03/11/Events-and-Attractions/Miami-Open/)
9. [Miami Open: Tennis stars have mixed reviews of Dolphins stadium venue, UPI](https://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2019/03/21/Miami-Open-Tennis-stars-have-mixed-reviews-of-Dolphins-stadium-venue/3931553177232/)
10. [Seminole Tribune, March 29, 2019](https://seminoletribune.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/SeminoleTribune_March-29_2019.pdf)
11. [What's new at the Miami Open: More shade, new food vendors, Axios Miami](https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2026/03/16/miami-open-food-beverage-tournament-tennis)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Racket and precision ball sports › Tennis › Tennis tournaments and circuits › ATP, WTA, and Challenger tour events › Named ATP/WTA tour event families*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license