Deborah Curtis-Seitchell
THE “Hard Rock Stadium”, officially home to local NFL team the Miami Dolphins, also accommodates the ATP Miami Open, since the tournament moved, after 32 years in Key Biscayne.
In tandem with Indian Wells, it is known as the “Sunshine Double”, given they unfurl back to back and are both Masters 1000, but make no mistake, the oppressive humidity differs dramatically from Californian desert conditions.
Players find adapting on the hoof difficult, hence the high number of withdrawals: at least eight WTA players have pulled out, including Emma Raducanu, Mirra Andreeva and Petra Kvitova and to a lesser extent in the Men’s Draw – Milos Raonic, Asian Karatsev, Stan Wawrinka and the biggest name of them all, Novak Djokovic.
The Serbian GOAT cited the reason for his premature exit that he was “trying to reach a balance between private and professional life”.
To be fair to Djokovic, he, unlike his nemesis, Rafa Nadal, has not made a habit of entering and withdrawing from tournaments at the eleventh hour. There is no doubt that his lowest loss ever to No 96, Luca Nardi, in the third round at Indian Wells was a wake-up call; time is running out, and what motivates him most are still the Majors and pending Paris Olympics.
Thus, best this six-time Miami champion saves his dwindling energy and hotfoots it to the European clay courts to practise for Monte Carlo and Roland Garros.
He has been world number one since September 2023 and regardless of picking up only a meagre 50 points in Indian Wells, will remain in pole position for the next three weeks guaranteed.
Having not participated in the Sunshine Double since 2019, Djokovic had no points to defend and a real chance to pull away from numbers two and three, namely, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Instead, if Alcaraz can clinch the Miami title, he adds a hefty 640 points to his ranking and were Sinner to lift the trophy, he earns 400 points. Basically, the Serbian “king” is on borrowed time at number one, unless he can slide past both the Spanish and Italian number ones on clay.
What has been good to witness, in the wake of waving goodbye to so many heavyweights in the line-up, is saying hello to almost-forgotten former national number ones, sidelined through injury and finally returning to the fray, Matteo Berretini and Andy Murray. The Italian had a tough first-round draw against former Miami champion Andy Murray.
Berretini looked promising, having taken the first set, yet, almost fainted in the noon-day sun in the second and capitulated that and the third.
As the commentator said, the big-serving Italian is a drawcard “whenever and wherever he steps on court, and it’s great to have him back” especially as his star compatriot, Sinner, is somewhat lacking in personality.
Denis Shapavalov, pre-ensuing injury, within the Top 10, made an aggressive round-one comeback, serving 12 aces to topple unseeded Luciano Darderi in straight sets.
The left-hander next faced Stefanos Tsitsipas, who plays a similar brand of tennis, also wielding a one-handed backhand and out of the Top 10 of late. The Greek number one, buoyed by Greek Maria Sakkari’s Indian Wells run to the final, raised his recently floundering game, yet Shapavalov is showing signs of his former fearless self and should again be a contender at Wimbledon.
Former US Open finalist Kei Nishikori was the last but not least to stage a Miami comeback, be it short-lived, against Austrian Sebastian Ofner, who won 6-3, 6-4.
This potpourri of returning veterans certainly adds flavour to the draw, however, it won’t unseat any of the projected top-seeded finalists.