MIAMI OPEN
in the final by Daniil Medvedev. The Italian flipped the tables on the Russian in the 2024 Australian Open final.
“I’ve been positive throughout this winning streak, positive even now, because I lost in the semis of Indian Wells, which is still a great result,” Sinner said Saturday. “Now, the next tournament is Miami. So, I’m focused already for Miami.”
Alcaraz, Sinner and Medvedev are the top men’s players to watch this week with No. 1ranked Novak Djokovic opting to skip the Miami Open this year after a shocking loss in Indian Wells to No. 123rd-ranked “lucky loser” Luca Nardi, who made the main draw only because another player pulled out with an injury.
Medvedev, who faced Alcaraz in the final at Indian Wells on Sunday, will be looking to defend his Miami Open title, as will women’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland, who was scheduled to play Maria Sakkari in the Indian Wells final on Sunday before heading to South Florida.
Swiatek has won three major titles and held the top ranking for most of the past two years. She said she tries not to put pressure on herself by not focusing on results or specific trophies.
“The last few couple of years I achieved much more than I ever expected, so making goals that are based on the results, it’s pretty tricky for me, because honestly, just winning, I don’t know, two tournaments per year would be all I ever dreamed of, honestly, and even more,” she said before Indian Wells.
“So, I’m trying to set my goals for more technical stuff, like, working on my serve and being more comfortable at the net and stuff like that. So, it’s not tournament related. It’s more process related. I think these goals are kind of healthier.
Petra Kvitova, the 34year-old defending Miami Open champion and twotime Wimbledon champion, will not defend her Miami title this year because she is on maternity leave. She announced her pregnancy in January.
Among the contenders for the women’s title are two Americans, No. 3
Coco Gauff and No. 5 Jessica Pegula. Gauff is coming off a 6-4, 6-7
(5-7), 6-2 semifinal loss to Maria Sakkari of Greece in Indian Wells.
The Delray Beach native turned 20 on Wednesday and was asked what her goals are for her 20s.
“I guess tennis goals, definitely to win some more slams, and I want to medal at this Olympics or 2028, that would be cool,” Gauff said. “Then life goals, honestly, I haven’t thought that far. I’m not trying to get married or anything [smiling]. Definitely no kids. Just tennis right now and we’ll see where life takes me off the court.”
She said she didn’t have any big birthday celebration in Indian Wells, but would probably do a dinner when she got home before the Miami Open, so her younger brothers could celebrate with her. Winning a Miami Open would be a welcome belated birthday gift.
“Obviously Miami being a home tournament, that would be a dream to win,” Gauff said.
Among the other players to watch are wild cards and former No. 1’s Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep, the 32-year-old Romanian who will play her first competitive match since 2022. Halep was initially suspended for four years, but a successful appeal went her way and her ban was reduced to nine months on Tuesday.
“I am thrilled to let you all know that I will be making my return to the WTA Tour … at the Miami Open,” Halep wrote on her Instagram account. “Thank you to the tournament for giving me this opportunity and I cannot wait to be back on court and competing. See you all soon!”
2024 MIAMI OPEN
When: March 17-31 (Qualifying rounds begin March 17, Main Draw Begins March 19)
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
Defending Champions:
Women’s singles: Petra Kvitova
Men’s singles: Daniil Medvedev
Women’s doubles: Jessica
Pegula and Coco Gauff
Men’s doubles: Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin
10 Players to Watch: MEN
Jannik Sinner (Italy), Carlos Alcaraz (Spain), Daniil Medvedev (Russia), Holger Rune (Denmark), Alexander Zverev (Germany), Hubert Hurkacz (Poland), Casper Ruud (Norway), Taylor Fritz (USA), Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria), Tommy Paul (USA).
WOMEN
Iga Swiatek (Poland), Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus), Coco Gauff (USA), Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan), Jessica Pegula (USA), Ons Jabeur (Tunisia), Maria Sakkari (Greece), Qinwen Zheng (China), Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic), Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil).
Duration packages: Full tournament access, witness top tennis talent, and explore campus grounds at valued package rates. Details here: https://www.miamiopen. com/duration-packages/
Ground passes and outer court tickets: Access to outer courts, practice courts, and tournament matches in the Grandstand, the secondlargest court on the Miami Open grounds. Details here: https://www.miami open.com/groundspasses/
Parking: Available through Ticketmaster until 10 p.m. the day before each session. All same-day parking purchases must be at Gate 15 and 16.