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Serena Williams attends ground breaking for new tennis venue at Hard Rock Stadium

It’s slated to be ready for the Miami Open’s 2019 tournament

By Adele Chapin
Miami Open 2018 - Day 1
Mark Sharpiro WME/IMG Co-President, Serena Williams, Stephen Ross, Miami Dolphins owner and James Blake, Tournament Director pose for a photograph at the ground breaking ceremony
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Tennis superstar Serena Williams picked up a shovel for today’s ground breaking ceremony at Hard Rock Stadium, which will soon serve as the new home for the Miami Open tennis tournament. South Florida Business Journal reports that the Miami Gardens tennis venue should be ready for the March 2019 tournament. That means this month’s Miami Open will be the last time the tournament is held in Key Biscayne.

Key matches will happen inside the Hard Rock Stadium, with center court temporarily covering the football field, and an additional 29 courts are currently under construction in the parking lot.

The stadium’s new home will offer more seats for fans (32,500 from 25,000) and more lighted courts for night matches.

“Every single aspect of this tournament will be an upgrade,” said tennis pro-turned-Miami Open tournament director James Blake said.

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