The Miami Open is set to relocate somewhere new? After 15 years being considered the 5th Grand Slam tournament in tennis, things are looking beyond worrying for the American event.
After an important loss in appeal, the organisers of the Miami Open saw their 50-million expansion plan unauthorised, with the future of the tournament now in jeopardy.
“At some point, it’s going to be gone. The only question is when,” told Eugene Stearns, lawyer in defense of the tournament in the controversy, to the Miami Herald.
The expansion plan proposed by the tournament organisers was set to build two new courts and improve the center court.
Against the tournament’s expansion is Bruce Matheson, a descendent of the family that originally owned Crandon Park. Well respected in his community, Matheson always opposed himself to the expansion.
Currently the tournament has to spend over $1.5 million to organise the tournament in Crandon Park, while Miami-Dade would pay $14 million in 14 years for the facility.
Things don’t look great for the Miami Open at the moment and it is time to think about different solutions. Among the options of relocating the tournament, organisers thought of the city of Orlando. Other options could be Dubai or Beijing.
Key Biscayne could say its farewell to the event soon…
