Everything you need to know as the Miami Open tennis tournament gets underway Sunday
Carlos Alcaraz showed up at the Miami Open two years ago a relatively unknown Spanish teenager with blistering groundstrokes, youthful exuberance, and a daring drop shot.
By the time he left, he was the youngest men’s champion in tournament history and fielding calls from Felipe VI, the King of Spain. Alcaraz was the latest in a string of eventual superstars who made their breakthroughs amid South Florida’s palm trees and suffocating humidity.
The kid went on to win the U.S. Open at age 19, becoming the youngest world No. 1 in history. He was dubbed “The New Nadal” and, at times, looked unbeatable. But he proved mortal in late 2023 and early 2024, failing to win a title since Wimbledon last summer.
He arrives at Hard Rock Stadium this week for the Miami Open with the No. 2 ranking and renewed confidence after an impressive run to the BNP Paribas Open final in Indian Wells, California, Sunday, where he beat Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (7-5), 6-1.
The 20-year-old cruised through the draw, pulling off a straight-sets quarterfinal win over Alexander Zverev that had to be paused mid-match because of an on-court bee invasion.
“For sure the most unusual match I have ever played in my career,” said Alcaraz. “I’ve never experienced something like that. I was ready to serve to the next point. I saw some bees around, but I thought it was just a few of them, just not too many. But I saw the sky and there were thousands, flying, stuck in my hair, going to me. It was crazy.”
Alcaraz followed that up with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback semifinal victory over Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner, the Italian phenom who was 19-0 this season and had dropped just one set at Indian Wells until he ran into Alcaraz.
“He’s the best tennis player in the world right now, without a doubt,” Alcaraz said of Sinner before the match.
Sinner is a two-time Miami Open runner-up and last year was beaten in the final by Medvedev. The Italian flipped the tables on the Russian in the 2024 Australian Open final.
“I’ve been positive throughout this winning streak, positive even now, because I lost in the semis of Indian Wells, which is still a great result,” Sinner said Saturday. “Now, the next tournament is Miami. So, I’m focused already for Miami.”
Alcaraz, Sinner and Medvedev are the top men’s players to watch this week with No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic opting to skip the Miami Open this year after a shocking loss in Indian Wells to No. 123rd-ranked “lucky loser” Luca Nardi, who made the main draw only because another player pulled out with an injury.
Medvedev will be looking to defend his Miami Open title, as will women’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland, who beat Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-0 in the Indian Wells final on Sunday before heading to South Florida.
Swiatek has won three major titles and held the top ranking for most of the past two years. She said she tries not to put pressure on herself by not focusing on results or specific trophies.
“The last few couple of years I achieved much more than I ever expected, so making goals that are based on the results, it’s pretty tricky for me, because honestly, just winning, I don’t know, two tournaments per year would be all I ever dreamed of, honestly, and even more,” she said before Indian Wells.
“So, I’m trying to set my goals for more technical stuff, like, working on my serve and being more comfortable at the net and stuff like that. So, it’s not tournament related. It’s more process related. I think these goals are kind of healthier.
Petra Kvitova, the 34-year-old defending Miami Open champion and two-time Wimbledon champion, will not defend her Miami title this year because she is on maternity leave. She announced her pregnancy in January.
Among the contenders for the women’s title are two Americans, No. 3 Coco Gauff and No. 5 Jessica Pegula. Gauff is coming off a 6-4, 6-7 (7-5), 6-2 semifinal loss to Maria Sakkari of Greece in Indian Wells.
The Delray Beach native turned 20 on Wednesday and was asked what her goals are for her 20s.
“I guess tennis goals, definitely to win some more slams, and I want to medal at this Olympics or 2028, that would be cool,” Gauff said. “Then life goals, honestly, I haven’t thought that far. I’m not trying to get married or anything (smiling). Definitely no kids. Just tennis right now and we’ll see where life takes me off the court.”
She said he didn’t have any big birthday celebration in Indian Wells, but would probably do a dinner when I got home before the Miami Open, so her younger brothers could celebrate with her. Winning a Miami Open would be a welcome belated birthday gift.
“Obviously Miami being a home tournament, that would be a dream to win,” Gauff said.
Among the other players to watch are wild cards and former No. 1’s Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep, the 32-year-old Romanian who will play her first competitive match since 2022. Halep was initially suspended for four years, but a successful appeal went her way and her ban was reduced to nine months on Tuesday.
“I am thrilled to let you all know that I will be making my return to the WTA Tour…at the Miami Open,” Halep wrote on her Instagram account. “Thank you to the tournament for giving me this opportunity and I cannot wait to be back on court and competing. See you all soon!”
2024 Miami Open
When: March 17-31 (Qualifying rounds begin March 17, Main Draw Begins March 19)
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
Defending Champions:
Women’s singles: Petra Kvitova
Men’s singles: Daniil Medvedev
Women’s doubles: Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff
Men’s doubles: Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin
10 Players to Watch:
MEN
Jannik Sinner (Italy), Carlos Alcaraz (Spain), Daniil Medvedev (Russia), Holger Rune (Denmark), Alexander Zverev (Germany), Hubert Hurkacz (Poland), Casper Ruud (Norway), Taylor Fritz (USA), Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria), Tommy Paul (USA).
WOMEN
Iga Swiatek (Poland), Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus), Coco Gauff (USA), Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan), Jessica Pegula (USA), Ons Jabeur (Tunisia), Maria Sakkari (Greece), Qinwen Zheng (China), Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic), Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil).
Prize Money: Singles winners $1.1 million. Runners-up $585,000. Semifinalists $325,000.
TV: Tennis Channel
Ticket Information...
Single Session ticket: Access to 2–3 matches on the Stadium Court in addition to general admission and grounds access to other outer courts. Dates and tournament schedule subject to change. Details here: https://www.miamiopen.com/single-session/
Mini Plan ticket bundles: Reserved Stadium Court seating over a series of sessions, full campus access, and more. Each plan includes 4–6 sessions, with each session featuring 2-3 Stadium Court matches. 2024 Mini Plans are on sale now. Details here: https://www.miamiopen.com/mini-plans/
Duration packages: Full tournament access, witness top tennis talent, and explore campus grounds at valued package rates. Details here: https://www.miamiopen.com/duration-packages/
Ground passes & outer court tickets: Access to outer courts, practice courts, and tournament matches in the Grandstand, the second-largest court on the Miami Open grounds. Details here: https://www.miamiopen.com/grounds-passes/
Parking: Available through Ticketmaster up until 10 p.m. the day before each session. All same-day parking purchases must be at Gate 15 and 16.
