In conjunction with the cancellation of The Championships, Wimbledon, the ATP and WTA have jointly announced the continued suspension of the ATP and WTA Tours until July 13, 2020, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to Wimbledon, the suspension covers the entirety of the ATP/WTA European grass court swing, including ATP events in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Stuttgart, London-Queen’s, Halle, Mallorca, Eastbourne, as well as WTA events in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Nottingham, Birmingham, Berlin, Eastbourne and Bad Homburg. The suspension comes into effect at all levels of the professional game, including the ATP Challenger Tour, as well as the ITF World Tennis Tour. At this time, tournaments taking place from July 13, 2020 onwards are still planning to proceed as per the published schedule.

The ATP and WTA realise the importance and responsibility to prioritise the health and safety of the tennis community and general public while assessing the feasibility of the Tours’ resumption.

“Regrettably, the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic leaves us with no choice but to suspend the Tour further; a decision we’ve made in close cooperation with our members and the other governing bodies of tennis,” said Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman. “Health and safety remains the top priority as we navigate the challenges ahead in these unprecedented times, and we will do everything we can for the Tour to resume at the earliest opportunity once it is safe to do so.”

“This was a decision that the WTA and its members did not take lightly, however we remain vigilant in protecting the health and safety of our players, staff and fans,” said Steve Simon, WTA Chairman and CEO. “While we share in the disappointment of the season’s further postponement, our priority remains to support each other during this unprecedented time and work together as a sport in preparation of our return to play.”

My hands were on my knees as I stood bent over behind the baseline. After retaining my title in Houston last month, I was choking back tears.

I looked to the sky and pumped my fist as I walked to the net to embrace my opponent, Tennys Sandgren, a first-time finalist who I knew wanted to win his first trophy badly. When I put my head down on his chest, Tennys said something I will never forget.

“I know our Dads are watching in the crowd.”

^{Aaron M. Sprecher/US Clay}
I was doing my best to hold it together. But when Tennys, who lost his father a number of years ago, said that, I let it all out.

One year ago today, just 25 days after winning my first title on home soil in Houston, my dad, Steve Johnson Sr., passed away in his sleep.

I had just fulfilled a dream we shared — earning a trophy in the United States. But that was the last match he ever saw me play. Suddenly, Dad was gone.

*****

I vividly remember when Mom called that Thursday.

I’d checked into my flight to Rome at Los Angeles International Airport and had just dropped off my bags. It was 6:30 in the morning when my phone rang. Mom’s an early riser, so it wasn’t completely out of the ordinary that she was calling. I figured she probably just wanted to tell me to have a safe flight.

I was barely 10 feet from the United Airlines counter, walking toward security when she gave me the most devastating news of my life. I only had a few words in me.

“I’m coming home.”

I hung up the phone and jumped into a cab back to my house. I called my agent since my bags were checked in, and he told me not to worry about a thing — just go be with family. My then-fiancee — Kendall Bateman, whom I married on 21 April of this year — and I then got in our car and drove to Orange, California, where my parents lived. The radio was off. We sat in silence. My eyes were wide open in shock.

When we drove around the corner of my parents’ block, I saw a police car, a medic, and some family members’ cars. I still see all those cars outside the house sometimes when I make that turn. I’ll find myself short of breath, thinking I’m going to walk in and see Dad sitting on the couch watching television. That was the worst ride home of my life.

*****

The year since has been extremely tough. But my parents raised me to be a competitor and do things the right way. Dad wouldn’t have wanted me to give up, so I got back on the court, even though it’s been a struggle.

There have been times when I haven’t picked up a racquet for days and then I’ve gone on the court and been miserable. I’ve panicked. There have been times when my anxiety spiraled out of control. Some weeks it is easier and I can’t explain why. But I still enjoy playing tennis and find it’s a good way to honour him.

Dad was my first coach, after all. I remember spending long summer days with him at the courts with all the ladies’ groups he taught in the morning and all the older kids in the afternoon. I’d be the five or six-year-old kid getting beat up by 12-year-olds. I probably didn’t enjoy the losing part, but I loved being out there with Dad.

But he didn’t just help me. He coached hundreds, if not thousands, of kids, adults, high school teams, you name it. I remember when I was little, he even let a teenage girl he coached stay with us over the summer. He’d always coached her, but their family moved a bit far away. So like he always did, Dad made it work, and she not only went on to play at Nebraska, but remains a good family friend.

There’s no other way to put it: My dad loved everything about tennis and would do anything to help others achieve their goals.

That’s why I’ve found this healing process so difficult. We shared a passion for the sport.

I remember Dad taking me to watch Andre Agassi play the Netherlands in Davis Cup at Newport Beach when I was seven. We went on a trip to the US Open when I was young, too. As a young kid I was in tennis heaven running around from court to court, wanting to take it all in. Dad and a close family friend Rance Brown told me that I should want to play on those courts one day.

^{Steve Johnson}
When I did become a professional, Dad was there, like always. He got to see me play on those same courts in Flushing Meadows. He was there when I played Roger Federer at Wimbledon on the historic Centre Court. He was in the stands when I won my first title at Nottingham two years ago.

So while many athletes who lose a loved one find their peaceful place on their playing field, a tennis court was the place I felt all wrong.

I can’t just go hit tennis balls like everything’s normal. It’d help if I knew the trigger, but the most ordinary of moments during a drill could make me think of Dad. There are some days I can get through it and some days I just have to take a break.

I had an especially hard time last summer because it was still so fresh. My mind was all over the place and once I got to Wimbledon, there was such a weight on my shoulders.

Physically I was on the court playing Marin Cilic in the third round, but emotionally I was just so ready to be done. I was thinking about what was truly important to me, and my tennis was such a small part of that at the time.

Right when I got home from Wimbledon, I was in and out of the hospital for a week. My body completely shut down. The doctors originally thought it might have been appendicitis, but they never figured it out. Deep down, I know my body just couldn’t handle what I’d gone through.

Even after that, it’s been hard to look at my players’ box at tournaments like the US Open and Indian Wells, because Dad should be there. I don’t look over there for coaching. I just wish my biggest fan was there.

^{Steve Johnson}
But through the toughest moments, I’ve found a sense of unity. In Houston, I know it couldn’t have been easy for Tennys to lose his first final in front of his fantastic Mom, brothers, and others close to him. But he knew how I was feeling, and I’m forever thankful that he was there for me that day.

Going back to last year at Roland Garros, I hit a forehand winner to beat Borna Coric after four hours in the second round. I was incredibly proud of my fight, but after that shot I completely broke down.

When I got to the locker room, my coach Craig Boynton, my physio Christian LoCascio, and my good friends Sam Querrey and John Isner were there with me as I sat with a towel over my head. But a lot of other guys came up to me when they didn’t have to and just put a hand on my shoulder. It showed that while they are my competitors, the tennis world is a family too.

*****

I have struggled with this in ways that I couldn’t have imagined. I lost three of my four matches in Australia at the beginning of the year, and when I got home, I started having panic and anxiety attacks. They were frequent, too.

They didn’t feel normal, but I’ve realised they are normal. They’re not something to shy away from.

I’ve talked a lot with Mardy Fish about the anxiety side of things. He’s someone who has gone through it, too. And I’ve learned that it’s okay to talk about it. It is not easy to deal with by any means. I tried the macho man deal for months, telling people I was fine until I was by myself and I could let go.

^{Aaron M. Sprecher/US Clay}
But hopefully this will reassure people that there is nothing wrong with opening up. That’s why I started seeing a professional earlier this year (thanks to a push from Mom, too). There’s no right answer to get over losing a loved one. But you try to live life the best you can. And while I still have many tough moments, speaking to somebody about it has helped a lot. I’m working my way back towards being happy and enjoying tennis again. That’s what Dad would have wanted.

Dating back to my college days, I’ve gone to the back of the court to say a little prayer before each match and win or lose, I say another one. That has a deeper meaning now.
Dad might not have been there physically in Houston last month. But when I looked up to the sky, I knew he was watching. No matter where I’m playing or what time of day, I know Dad’s up there supporting me every step of the way like he always has.

Hopefully this will get easier, but I never want to forget what Dad has done to get me to this point.

I’m very blessed — I get to play tennis for a living, so the bad days are still great.

– as told to Andrew Eichenholz

More ‘My Point’ Essays:

Isner Inspired By Mom’s Courage

Lopez’s New Journey In Madrid

Featured image credit: Aaron M. Sprecher/Eurosport/Steve Johnson

Your favourite players are all back at home, but they’re finding plenty of ways to stay active. From Alex de Minaur breaking out the golf clubs – albeit inside – to Stan Wawrinka celebrating his birthday by any means necessary, find out how the biggest names in tennis are keeping busy.

De Minaur showed that he’s talented in more than one sport.

I’m hoping this one counts tho…. ?‍♂️??!!!! @atptour #TennisAtHome #StayAtHome #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/gO1jqFB0fp

— alex de minaur (@alexdeminaur) March 30, 2020

Wawrinka made sure that he wasn’t alone to celebrate his 35th birthday this past Saturday.

Nothing will stop me from celebrating a birthday ??‍♂️????? #NiceTryQuarantine #HouseBirthday #HouseParty #StanTheMan #Quarantine #Birthday #ThankYou #AlwaysAParty #KeepingMyselfEntertained pic.twitter.com/wUmMa3b6Kf

— Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) March 28, 2020

Roger Federer braved the snow to work on his trick shots.

Making sure I still remember how to hit trick shots #TennisAtHome pic.twitter.com/DKDKQTaluY

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) March 30, 2020

Novak Djokovic appears to be adding serve-and-volley tennis to his arsenal.

Competition never stops ??? #tennisathome??

Такмичење није престало ? pic.twitter.com/JG8ux5DSdB

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) March 31, 2020

Borna Coric is keeping his volleys sharp.

Practice at home with Borna ?@borna_coric | #tennisathome pic.twitter.com/vbMeRuC5Fl

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 30, 2020

Alexander Zverev and Marcelo Melo held an Instagram Live with an unexpected ending.

Plot twist ?

Which two players would you like to see go live together? ?#tennisathome pic.twitter.com/RS2IoGMewq

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 30, 2020

Fabio Fognini proved that just about anything can work as a net.

Getting creative ????‍♂️?#tennislife#stayathome#iorestoacasa#distantimauniti pic.twitter.com/hbJEAh39OE

— Fabio Fognini (@fabiofogna) March 29, 2020

Roberto Bautista Agut showed his support for good friend Rafael Nadal and his #NuestraMejorVictoria campaign to raise funds for COVID-19 relief efforts.

Me sumo a la iniciativa promovida por @RafaelNadal y @paugasol contra el #Coronavirus gracias al proyecto de la @CruzRojaEsp #CruzRojaResponde.⁣ Tenemos a la mejor afición del mundo y este es el momento de poner nuestro granito de arena por ella! #NuestraMejorVictoria⁣
⁣ pic.twitter.com/udii2pmlgZ

— Roberto BautistaAgut (@BautistaAgut) March 27, 2020

Soonwoo Kwon isn’t afraid to show his bloopers to the world.

This is brilliant from ?? Soonwoo Kwon ?#tennisathome pic.twitter.com/4PpLEWeAug

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 30, 2020

Novak Djokovic is taking #TennisAtHome to a whole new level.

The World No. 1 long ago proved himself a master with a tennis racquet. But Tuesday on social media, the Serbian showed he is not too shabby with a pan, either. 

Competition never stops ??? #tennisathome??

Такмичење није престало ? pic.twitter.com/JG8ux5DSdB

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) March 31, 2020

Djokovic posted a couple rallies he has enjoyed inside his home, using both sides of a pan to reflex volleys at the “net”. 

In addition to encouraging fans to stay at home to help stop the spread of coronavirus, Djokovic and his wife, Jelena Djokovic, previously announced that that they will donate €1 million through the Novak Djokovic Foundation for the purchase of ventilators and medical equipment to support hospitals and other medical institutions in their battle against coronavirus in Serbia.

“The fight is not easy, numbers are not pleasant, but I am convinced that we will manage to make it out of this stronger than before,” Novak told local media according to his foundation. “It is important to remain united in this fight, to help each other, so we can defeat this virus faster and easier. We would like to use this opportunity to invite everyone else to join us and help numerous families and people who need help to survive and get healthy again.”

After winning the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships one month ago to move to 18-0 in 2020, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic pondered the idea of a perfect season.

“One of the targets is to go unbeaten the whole season,” Djokovic said on court, cracking a laugh. “No, I’m kidding. I’m not kidding, actually.”

Although Djokovic wasn’t serious about going a full season without a loss, the Serbian has completed some of the best campaigns in recent memory, as detailed by ATP Uncovered presented by Peugeot.

2011
Win-Loss Record: 70-6
Titles: 10
Grand Slam Titles: 3

Djokovic began the 2011 season as the No. 3 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The Serbian had climbed as high as World No. 2, but never to the top of tennis’ mountain. That all changed thanks to one of the best starts to a season in history, which led him to not only reach World No. 1 for the first time, but to finish the year there.

Djokovic won his first 41 matches of 2011, with 31 of those victories coming in straight sets. Thirteen of those triumphs during that stretch were against Top 10 opposition.

Perhaps what was most impressive was the Serbian’s efforts against Rafael Nadal. He won all six of his ATP Head2Head clashes against the Spaniard in 2011, with all of those meetings coming in finals.

Djokovic had lifted one Grand Slam trophy and reached two finals prior to this season, but he earned three major crowns, triumphing at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, claiming 10 tour-level titles for the year.

What They Said
Pete Sampras: “It was quite a year for Novak Djokovic. Incredible what he was able to do. A transformation in his head has turned [him] into this incredible athlete who mentally has sort of figured it out.”

Andre Agassi: “Really one of the great years of all-time in our sport.”

2015
Win-Loss Record: 82-6
Titles: 11
Grand Slam Titles: 3

Djokovic set the bar high with his 2011 season, but he won even more matches in 2015. His 82 tour-level victories are more than he has earned in any other campaign.

It wasn’t just that he won a lot, but whom he defeated to do so. Djokovic earned 31 Top 10 wins in 2015, including a combined 15 victories against Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

Djokovic lifted a career-high 11 tour-level trophies and reached a single-season record 15 straight finals to end the year, the most since Federer’s 17 straight finals in 2005-06. He won a record six ATP Masters 1000 titles, reaching the championship round at eight of the nine events at that level in 2015.

After only winning one Grand Slam in 2014, the Serbian earned three major titles, emerging victorious at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. He became the third man to contest all four major finals in a single year during the Open Era (also Laver in 1969 and Federer in 2006, 2007 and 2009).

He then ended the season in style, becoming the first player to win four consecutive Nitto ATP Finals titles, finishing year-end No. 1 for the fourth time in five years.

What They Said
John McEnroe: “[It’s amazing] how consistent Novak has been at such a high level.”

Bjorn Borg: “I think what Djokovic did is one of the better seasons a player has ever had.”

Stan Smith: “Djokovic is playing at a level at which nobody could really get a chink in the armour.”

Kei Nishikori didn’t want to play the 2008 Delray Beach Open for fear of being outclassed, even embarrassed. At 18 years of age, he didn’t think he belonged at tour-level at all.

Two weeks earlier, the Japanese teenager had lost in the third round of qualifying at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Dallas against KJ Hippensteel, who won a single tour-level match in his career. So how would Nishikori, World No. 244, make it through qualifying at an ATP World Tour event?

“I told my coach I didn’t want to play in Delray because it’s a different level and [there’s] no way I’m going to win those tournaments,” Nishikori told ATPWorldTour.com. “But my coach pushed me to play.”

It’s a good thing Nishikori listened to his coach, Glenn Weiner. The rest, as they say, is history.

Ten years ago this week, Nishikori would go on one of the most memorable runs at an ATP World Tour event in recent memory. The teenager won eight matches — saving 12 of 12 break points faced in a three-set second-round win against Amer Delic, saving four match points in the semi-finals against Sam Querrey, and finally, shocking World No. 12 James Blake 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to win his first ATP World Tour crown.

“I remember in my head I thought, ‘Well, James is probably going to win this tournament’,” Querrey said, recalling his loss.

“I thought, ‘Oh, wow. This is a big opportunity. I’m getting to play a qualifier in the final’,” Blake remembered.

But instead, Nishikori became the first Japanese tour-level titlist since Shuzo Matsuoka at 1992 Seoul and the youngest player to win a title, period, since former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt captured 1998 Adelaide as a 16-year-old.

Youngest ATP World Tour Champions Since 2000

‘Project 45’ — the mission touting Nishikori’s pursuit of Matsuoka’s Japanese-best mark of No. 46 in the ATP Rankings, was underway. Yet, before the week started, the spotlight seemed distant.

“At that time, it was really hard to believe [in myself],” Nishikori admitted. “I was losing to guys ranked like 300 and I wasn’t playing well. I don’t know what happened.”

Well, it certainly worked. Knowing what we know today — Nishikori has ascended as high as No. 4 in the ATP Rankings, won 11 tour-level titles and earned 32 Top 10 victories — it is easy to look back and understand how the superstar triumphed that week in Delray Beach. But it was not that obvious a decade ago.

“That was amazing, amazing for sure,” said Dante Bottini, Nishikori’s coach since December 2010, who worked at the IMG Academy (where Nishikori has trained since coming to the United States at 13) starting in 2007. “Being such a young kid, I remember he wasn’t that big. He was very skinny, playing with all these big guys. That was very, very impressive. Very impressve.”

Becoming the first Japanese player since Matsuoka (1995 Beijing) to advance to a tour-level semi-final was worthy of commendation. But Nishikori faced four match points against Querrey. The magical run, it seemed, was one big shot from coming to an end.

Somehow, Nishikori survived.

“I was the Challenger guy,” Nishikori said. “He was a much better player. I had no pressure and I was just playing with nothing to lose, so I think I was more free to play those points and maybe I had more guts to play aggressively.”

“He came out and beat James the next day. A little bit of a shock then, but now looking back, it wasn’t so much of a shock,” Querrey said. “He’s had such a great career.”

The thing is, at that point, Nishikori never believed he would beat Blake. And neither did the top seed.

“I’d seen a little bit of the match. But I knew the way I was playing, I felt like I could be overpowering. I would be able to be aggressive,” Blake said. “And also, [I thought] he might be nervous. It was his first final.”

And whether it was because of nerves or not, Nishikori still did not believe he would win while serving at 5-4, 40/0 in the third set, three championship points on his racquet. Blake was a full-fledged star. Nishikori was just a teenager, playing someone whom he had only watched on television.

“I wasn’t believing that I could win the match. I was still thinking I might lose this game, even though I had match points,” Nishikori said. “It was really tough to believe in myself, especially against James, who was almost Top 10. And I was watching him on TV at that time, so it wasn’t easy.”

A Blake forehand error sealed the up-and-comer’s victory — Nishikori was no longer ‘The Challenger Guy’.

“I played pretty well and he just beat me,” Blake said. “I remember coming back and my brother and my coach were there and my brother said, ‘That kid is going to be really, really good’.

“Normally my brother might make an excuse like, ‘Oh, you had a rough day’ or whatever. He just said, ‘That kid is going to be good. You didn’t do anything wrong today’,” Blake remembered. “I felt like that was the case and it was so surprising to have a qualifier ranked 200 and something in the world come in and just outplay me and beat me when I was near the Top 10 in the world.”

Later that year, the teenager would become the first Japanese player to reach the fourth round at the US Open since Jiro Yamagishi in 1937. By the end of 2008, Nishikori would soar to No. 63 in the world. And while injuries set him back, the right-hander would break Matsuoka’s record ATP Ranking for a Japanese player at 2011 Shanghai.

But all of that success stems from one magical week in Delray Beach, Florida. Not bad for a guy who didn’t want to be there, saying he’d “rather play a Challenger and win a couple matches”.

“I was coming from almost nothing before [Delray Beach],” Nishikori said. “That was the start of my career.”

It is one of the sport’s crown jewels, first conceptualised more than 50 years ago by Earl Butch Buchholz, who realised that running a two-week tennis tournament for men and women — now named the Miami Open presented by Itau — was part of the entertainment business. When Buchholz and his younger brother, Cliff Buchholz, swept into southern Florida in 1987, after briefly holding the tournament at Delray Beach (1985) and Boca West (1986), all of their Mid-Western charm, experience and determination was needed to permanently establish a home on the beautiful island of Key Biscayne. Butch Buchholz told ATPTour.com, “I jokingly said [to my brother], ‘If things go wrong it’s your fault. If they are good, I did it.’”

Initially, amidst a five-year court battle to build a 14,000-seat stadium, the organisers — Butch, as Tournament Chairman to 2010, and Cliff, as Tournament Director to 2003 — had to deal with the second-coldest day recorded in Florida and plenty of hurricanes. Notably, the aftermath of 1992 Hurricane Andrew, one of the worst in Florida’s history, “when hundreds of fish landed on the courts” and set back their preparations for 1993, when they had to deal with a different problem. “When the stadium court was still under construction, we had to move the temporary stadium court all the way down to the end of the property,” remembers Butch Buchholz, who had initially built a $1 million 10,000-square-foot clubhouse in 1989 at Crandon Park.

“For some reason, to this day, we still don’t know why. But the court started breaking up on the final day. There was talk about the soil being bad and moisture being there. Even the heat of the day, but, for sure, it was a major crisis. At nine o’clock in the morning the court was unplayable, but when we were ready to go on air for the final [MaliVai Washington versus Pete Sampras], by a miracle, the court stuck together. It didn’t come apart and we were able to play on it. Frank Froehling, who [passed away in January 2020 and] was in the court construction business, felt that when the temporary court was built down at the end of the property, that there was probably so much moisture in there, that it was likely coming up. We also had the second-coldest day recorded in Florida in the first year, whereas the second week [of the tournament] always got hot.”

A small, but vocal section of the local community had been opposed to the development of a $20 million octagonal-shaped stadium, on the site of a former rubbish dump. The politics became fierce and the Buchholz brothers considered another venue switch. “Everyone was hopeful that we could build a stadium, but the Key Biscayne residents were worried we’d be holding rock concerts, tractor pulls and mud wrestling there,” remembers Buchholz, who had originally viewed Flamingo Park, Tropical Park and Amelia Earhart Park for Miami’s tournament site. “The people against the stadium accused us, and the county [Miami-Dade], of something we weren’t going to do. It took almost five years in court, but we won the right to build the stadium and have the tournament. But then there were all sorts of conditions, which we did not support, when the county did the contract with the prominent Matheson family. The stadium [once built] really did change the tournament.”

Buchholz’s proudest achievement, the stadium, which officially hosted its first tennis match on 11 March 1994 (one year later than planned), boasted a meditation room, hairdresser’s salon and changing rooms replete with lockers made of oak, and personalised with brass name plates. “We had the idea to invite 300,000 people to our wedding and we wanted everyone to have a good time: feed them, provide gifts [the merchandise] and enjoy their time,” says Buchholz.

“The stadium was a great office. I had the vision of the court backing, when I was playing in the 1960s. I wanted a nine-foot wall, so players didn’t have to hit a volley out of someone’s white shirt, the court was perfectly level, and television cameras were recessed into the ground. The building and the philosophy of the stadium changed everything. We gave half of the building to fans and sponsors, [and the other] half of the building to players and press. Everyone was a partner in this event. There was an area where players could sit up in dining and look out across the court. The New York Times, The Times of London were in the same seating area as a sponsor who had paid $6 million.”

Of course, the 1994 tournament didn’t go without a hitch. On the morning of the singles final, Sampras called to say he wouldn’t be able to face Andre Agassi that afternoon. Buchholz remembers telling Sampras, “If we get a doctor, and if the doctor can get you to a point where you can play, would you?’ Andre then agreed to delay the match. Pete’s doctor said, ‘If we get some IVs into him, he’ll be okay in a few hours’. I think television was due to start at 12 noon for a 1pm final start. We ended up starting around 3pm and it ended up that Pete beat him [5-7, 6-3, 6-3]. We were just happy to have a match. Andre would beat Pete the next year in a third set tie-break [3-6, 6-2, 7-6(3)], which was a great match.

“In 1996, when Goran Ivanisevic retired after three games of the final due to waking up with a stiff neck, Andre took the microphone out of my hand and told the fans, ‘This sort of thing happens…’ It’s not easy standing in front of 14,000 people saying they won’t play. At that point, I then went to the [Miami-Dade] county and asked if I could borrow their police helicopter and get Jim Courier, who was on Fisher Island [14 miles away], to play an exhibition match. I got Courier to come over and play one set against Andre, but then it poured with rain.”

By the mid 1990s, working at the Crandon Park Tennis Center had become a family affair. Buchholz had moved to Miami and was part of the fabric of the community. His son and wife worked at the tournament, which welcomed 18,000 spectators each day through the gates. His brother, Cliff, never relocated, but dealt with operations for 18 years as Tournament Director of the Miami Open presented by Itau — via title sponsorship from Lipton (1985-1999), Ericsson (2000-2001), NASDAQ-100 (2002-2006) and Sony Ericsson (2007-2014). Today the event is presented by Itaú, the largest privately owned bank in Latin America. Assisted by up to 1,200 volunteers, the tournament was initially dubbed, ‘Winter Wimbledon’ and, for the first five years, as the ‘South American Open’, playing to Miami’s strong Latin ties.

In March 1998, Chilean Marcelo Rios rose to No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings after becoming the fourth of eight players to-date to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’ of BNP Paribas Open and Miami titles in the same season. Buchholz, who had also helped to create Altenis, a management company that oversaw tennis tournaments in Latin America, recalls, “What we did, we gave people coming through the gates either a Chilean flag or an American flag. That final was a bullfight, the crowds really got into it.”

It had been when Buchholz was the Executive Director of the ATP in 1981 and 1982, that he envisaged the formation of a combined tournament. He eventually agreed a 15-year contract with the ATP and WTA Tours to run the event, starting in 1985. He told ATPTour.com, “I felt that the players were the last entity to have a major event, as the golfers do with the PGA Championships at Sawgrass.” But once the tennis world changed with the ‘Parking Lot Press Conference’ at the 1988 US Open, the former player adds, “We, the ATP, owned about eight events and that really struck in every tournament’s craw. They believed the ATP would protect their own events, which was not necessarily the case, but that was the perception. When the ATP pulled off the Men’s Tennis Council [1974-1989] and started their own Tour [in 1990], Hamilton Jordan, who was the chief executive of the ATP, told me, ‘Butch, we can’t own this event. It wouldn’t look right as it’s a conflict of interest. So, if you and your brother want to take it on, we’ll increase your prize money by 40 per cent and make it a 10-day event, rather than two weeks.’ That’s how my brother and I ended up with the event.”

The 79-year-old Buchholz believes it was not just the great matches and personalities, but the attention to detail and the facilities at Crandon Park Tennis Center, which saw the Miami Open presented by Itau voted by players as the ATP Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year on six occasions (2002-06 and 2008). “The big thing for us was that the top players enjoyed coming to Miami,” says Buchholz. “We treated them very well, and the big part of our success was that our fans and sponsors could trust we could get the best players. That’s a big part of ticket and sponsorship sales. We started running it as an event and not just tennis. We had entertainment. We had a big charity event before the tournament started, also ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears’ and ‘Beach Boys’ campaigns. Food was part of the marketing. It was about attracting the locals, but also international fans to an event, and I think we were one of the first to do so. We realised that we were in the entertainment business and a lot of other tournaments followed, with men and women together being the right decision.”

Agassi, who played in Miami for the first time as a 17-year-old in 1987, was one of the event’s greatest supporters, winning a record six titles [tied with Novak Djokovic]. Upon his 19th consecutive appearance in 2005, Buchholz paid tribute. “We did a great video in his final year,” he recalls. “It was a tribute to Andre, looking back at all the 19 years. I took him into our boardroom and it was just the two of us. I showed him the video and we both cried. Our fans always remembered great matches and personalities. Pete was a big supporter, so too Chris Evert, a Florida resident. The [Rafael] Nadal-[Roger] Federer matches of 2004 and 2005, the great five-set final. The women’s matches between Monica Seles, [Steffi] Graff, [Gabriela] Sabatini and [Jennifer] Capriati. There was also Mary Joe Fernandez, who was still in high school, the Carrollton School [in Miami], and they let all the kids come and watch her play Chris Evert in the [1988] semi-finals. They literally closed the school.”

Buchholz stepped down as Tournament Chairman in March 2010, six months shy of his 70th birthday. His last duty was to present the 2010 champion Andy Roddick with the Butch Buchholz Trophy. It was a rich reward for 25 years of service to the tournament.  

In 2019, the prestigious ATP Masters 1000/WTA Premier-level tournament, which had been owned by sport’s management company IMG since 2000, was held in Miami Gardens for the first time at the Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins. Buchholz insists, “IMG was prepared to spend the money to bring the tournament site [at Crandon Park] back up to leading status, but wasn’t allowed to. The grounds around Key Biscayne were insufficient. [But] the Hard Rock Stadium will be great, the outer courts and the outer areas outside of the stadium are a major upgrade from Key Biscayne. I’m happy the tournament has stayed in Florida and Miami. They will have some challenging years, but it will continue to grow as the top players return to come and play. The product is very good.”

Due to the global outbreak of COVID-19, the 2020 Miami Open presented by Itau will not proceed as scheduled.

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open, will be converted into a makeshift hospital as New York City strives to increase hospital capacity by 87,000 beds as the health care system is stressed by the spread of COVID-19. The immediate plan is for the beds to be used to care for non-COVID-19 patients.

Chris Widmaier, Managing Director of Corporate Communications at the United States Tennis Association, confirmed that construction to convert an indoor training area into a 350-bed medical facility is expected to begin on Tuesday. Louis Armstrong Stadium will also be converted into a commissary that prepares 25,000 meal packages each day for COVID-19 patients, medical workers and others in need.

“We’re here to help and if our site in Queens is utilized to help New Yorkers, we’re all for it,” Widmaier said to the New York Post.

New York City is considered to be the current epicenter of the coronavirus in the U.S., with more than 38,000 of the 140,904 confirmed cases in the country as of 30 March.