History of Miami Open (tennis) in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: March 22, 2025

The Miami Open is a prestigious professional tennis tournament held annually in Miami Gardens, Florida. Played on outdoor hardcourts at Hard Rock Stadium during late March and early April, it is a significant event on both the ATP Tour (as a Masters 1000 event) and the WTA Tour (as a WTA 1000 event), attracting top-ranked players from around the world.

1982: WCT Gold Coast Cup Tournament

In 1982, the WCT Gold Coast Cup tournament was played at Delray Beach, usually held at the end of January or early February.

1983: WCT Gold Coast Cup Tournament

In 1983, the WCT Gold Coast Cup tournament ran on the WCT Circuit before stopping.

February 1985: First Tournament

In February 1985, the first Miami Open tournament was held at Laver's International Tennis Resort in Delray Beach, Florida. The prize money was US$1.8 million, surpassed only by Wimbledon and the US Open.

1985: Best-of-Five Set Match

From 1985, the men's final was held as a best-of-five set match, similar to the Grand Slam events.

1985: International Players Championships Name

From 1985, the tournament was named the International Players Championships.

1986: Tournament at Boca West

In 1986, the Miami Open tournament was played at Boca West.

1987: Best-of-Five Sets

From 1987, the entire tournament, in every round, was best-of-five sets.

1987: Tournament Location and Format

In 1987, the Miami Open tournament was held at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida. The tournament featured the top 96 men and women tennis players in the world.

1987: Move to Key Biscayne

In 1987, the tournament moved to its long-term home in Key Biscayne.

1989: Best-of-Five Sets

Until 1989, the entire tournament, in every round, was best-of-five sets.

1990: Best-of-Five Set Match

Until 1990, the men's final was held as a best-of-five set match, similar to the Grand Slam events.

1992: End of Lipton International Players Championships Name

1992 marked the last year the tournament was called Lipton International Players Championships.

1992: Donation of Land and Stipulation

In 1992, the land on which the Crandon Park facility stands had been donated to Miami-Dade County by the Matheson family under a stipulation that only one stadium could be built on it.

1993: Lipton Championships Name

In 1993, the tournament was named the Lipton Championships.

1996: Best-of-Five Set Match

From 1996, the men's final was held as a best-of-five set match, similar to the Grand Slam events.

1999: End of Lipton Championships Name

1999 was the last year the tournament was named Lipton Championships.

1999: Sale to IMG

In 1999, Buchholz sold the Miami Open tournament to IMG.

2000: Miami Masters Name

Beginning in 2000, the tournament was named the Miami Masters.

2001: Ericsson Open Name

In 2001, the tournament was named the Ericsson Open.

2002: NASDAQ-100 Open Name

In 2002, the Miami Open event became known as the NASDAQ-100 Open.

2002: Best-of-Five Set Match

Until 2002, the men's final was held as a best-of-five set match, similar to the Grand Slam events.

2004: Best-of-Five Set Match

From 2004, the men's final was held as a best-of-five set match, similar to the Grand Slam events.

2004: Indian Wells Masters Expansion

In 2004, the Indian Wells Masters also expanded to a multi-week 96 player field, and since then, the two events have been colloquially termed the "Sunshine Double".

2006: Introduction of Hawk-Eye

In 2006, the Miami Open tournament became the first event in the United States to use Hawk-Eye technology to allow players to challenge close line calls. Jamea Jackson made the first challenge against Ashley Harkleroad in the first round.

2006: NASDAQ-100 Open Name

In 2006, the tournament was named the NASDAQ-100 Open.

2007: End of Best-of-Five Set Match

In 2007, the ATP required that the handful of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events which had best-of-five finals switch to the usual ATP best-of-three match format because several times the participants in long finals matches ended up withdrawing from tennis tournaments they were scheduled to participate in which were commencing in only two or three days. The last best-of-five set final was won by Novak Djokovic against Guillermo Cañas.

2007: Sony Ericsson Open Name

In 2007, the Miami Open tournament was renamed the Sony Ericsson Open.

2008: End of Miami Masters Name

2008 was the last year the tournament was named Miami Masters.

2009: Miami Open Name

In 2009, the tournament was renamed the Miami Open.

2012: Sony Ericsson Open Name

In 2012, the tournament was named the Sony Ericsson Open.

2013: Sony Open Tennis Name

In 2013, the tournament was named the Sony Open Tennis.

2014: Sony Open Tennis Name

In 2014, the tournament was named the Sony Open Tennis.

2015: Appeals Court Ruling

In 2015, an appeals court ruled in the Matheson family's favor, preventing upgrades from being made to the aging Crandon Park complex.

2015: Miami Open presented by Itaú Name

Since 2015, the international bank Itaú has been the presenting sponsor of the Miami Open.

2016: ATP Tour Masters 1000 Event

In 2016, as an ATP Tour Masters 1000 event, the Miami Open tournament was worth up to 1000 ATP rankings points to the singles and doubles champions.

November 2017: Agreement to Move to Hard Rock Stadium

In November 2017, the Miami Open signed an agreement with Miami-Dade County to move the annual tournament from the tennis complex in Key Biscayne to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

2018: Last Year at Crandon Park

2018 marked the last year the Miami Open tournament was held at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida.

2019: Move to Hard Rock Stadium

In 2019, the Miami Open moved to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

2019: Move to Miami Gardens

In 2019, the Miami Open tournament moved from Crandon Park to Miami Gardens, Florida.

2020: Postponement due to COVID-19

The 2020 Miami Open was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021: Limited Attendance

In 2021, the Miami Open was held with limited attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Hard Rock Stadium proper was not used.

2023: High Attendance

In 2023, the 12-day Miami Open tournament was attended by over 386,000 people, making it one of the largest tennis tournaments outside the four Grand Slam tournaments.