Djokovic, Federer Help Break In New Miami Location

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer won’t be playing doubles together at the Miami Open presented by Itau, but the two former Miami champions took to the court together on Wednesday for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Stadium Court.

Djokovic, who is going for a record-setting seventh Miami title, and Federer, a three-time Miami champion, joined WTA players Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams to celebrate the first day of main-draw play at Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.

The ATP Masters 1000 tournament is being held in Miami Gardens for the first time, after 32 years at Key Biscayne. The tournament was also held in Delray Beach (1985) and Boca Raton (1986).

Stadium seating capacity is 13,800 and other seating capacities are 5,191 at Grandstand, 3,024 at Court 1 and 1,564 at Butch Buchholz. Overall the complex has 12 match courts and 18 practice courts. So far, players seem to be impressed with the spacious new grounds.

“For the players, the facility is much bigger, much more room and many more courts, so all in general, to play tennis, it’s very nice,” Zverev said.

But the 2018 finalist said he’ll miss the vibe at Key Biscayne. “Crandon Park had something to it. It had some feeling, some energy, something Spanish to it and the crowd was always energetic. I don’t know how it’s going to be here,” he said. “I hope it’s going to take over from Crandon Park and take all the energy here and just to make it bigger, even bigger. Hopefully it’s going to be a similar vibe.”

Djokovic was impressed with the details of the new complex. “I think the colour [of the court] is really nice. It resembles ocean and water. It’s the colour of the Miami Dolphins, and we are guests in their stadium for the first time this year.

“I thought it was a bold move to [relocate] one of the biggest tournaments in the world in Key Biscayne, a historical venue where this tournament was held for so many years, to a football stadium and create something quite different that we haven’t seen before. It’s a courageous move that can bring a lot of benefits for our sport in general. I did practise on the centre court and it’s really nice. I know how much effort, energy and work has been put into the organisation of this event.”

Watch: Tour The New Location Of The Miami Open

Defending champion John Isner will miss reliving memories from his first ATP Masters 1000 title at Key Biscayne. But the American is keeping an open mind.

“Being here for the first time is really cool and unique. As the defending champ, it does have a different feel to it because it’s a completely different venue. At the same time I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot with my game, better than I was last year coming into this,” Isner said.

Federer, who’s playing in the tournament for the 18th time, will, like his peers, miss Key Biscayne. But he’s also energised by the new site.

“It’s a big change. We left an iconic venue in our sport in Key Biscayne,” he said. “But at the same time, it’s nice to see innovation, it’s nice to see growth in the game, and I hope that’s exactly what’s going to happen here.”