The Miami Open, a major international sporting event, takes place each year directly across from Sanibel & Captiva on the east coast of Florida. In 2022 the Miami Open is scheduled for March 21-April 3.
Each year island tennis players from clubs such as The Dunes, Beachview and The Sanctuary make the drive across Alligator Alley to see the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova. You can book your tickets at MiamiOpen.com
The Miami Open moved to the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens in 2018 after a 20-year run in Key Biscayne, FL. To Sanibel islanders, crossing the Causeway to Key Biscayne seemed rather like crossing the Sanibel Causeway.
The tournament was founded by Butch Buchholz in 1985 and was dubbed the “Winter Wimbledon” in the early years. It now is grouped with the tournament in Indian Wells as the “Sunshine Double.” They are the only tournaments other than Grand Slams where the main draw is extended beyond 8 days. The 96-player draws are the next largest on the ATP Tour.
In 2021 the lanky Polish player Hubert Hurkacz defeated Italian phenom Jannik Sinner 7-6, 6-4. The tournament was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. In 2019 Swiss superstar Roger Federer defeated American John Isner 6-1, 6-4.