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2024 Miami Open adds Major League Pickleball and wheelchair tennis for the first time

Plus, new food and drink offerings like a gin lounge and a fried chicken pop-up from a celebrity chef.

Falyn Wood
Written by
Falyn Wood
Editor, Time Out Miami
Miami Open presented by Itaú
Photograph: Courtesy Miami Open presented by Itaú
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The Miami Open might not be the most coveted tennis tournament in the world, but the long-running event has always had a certain cool factor. Last year, Jimmy Butler and Maluma were just a couple of celebs spotted among the crowds, hitting up on-site hotspots like the exclusive Casa Tua lounge. With nearly 400,000 attendees in 2023, Miami Open is one of the largest tennis tournaments outside the four Grand Slams.

As racket sports continue their impressive rally in the 305 and beyond, the 2024 Miami Open is set to become an even more enticing offering. This year, it will feature wheelchair tennis and Major League Pickleball (MLP) tournaments, marking the first time both events will take place at any ATP Masters tournament.

Shingo Kunieda
Daniel Kopatsch

The 2024 Miami Open kicks off at Hard Rock Stadium on March 17 and runs through March 31. From March 26 to 28, wheelchair tennis will make its debut at the tournament, with Japan's Shingo Kunieda, four-time Paralympic gold medalist and winner of 28 major singles titles, leading as the tournament director and Grand Slam champions Gordon Reid (Great Britain) and Gustavo Fernandez (Argentina) already confirmed in the field.

Major League Pickleball (MLP) will also debut from March 27 to 29, featuring a Pro-Am and two-day All-Star tournament starring 16 of the world’s best players competing in a round-robin pool play and three playoff matches. Expect to catch MLP stars playing alongside celebrities in a Pro-Am round-robin tournament and a Pro-Am team exhibition match, too.

MLP
Photograph: Courtesy MLP

Aside from the gameplay, fresh additions to the 2024 Miami Open also include exciting new pop-up food offerings, like famed chef David Chang’s Fuku Chicken concept (hello, spicy fried thigh meat sandwich!) plus Miami favorites like Ella’s Oyster Bar and Cheeseburger Baby. Locals Bodega Taqueria y Tequila, Kiki on the River, Sushi Maki and The Grove food trucks also return to the buzzing tennis campus this year.

Also new for 2024, attendees can now book a table at the award-winning seafood restaurant Milos, the first premium bookable dining option at the tournament.

On the party side of things, guests can toast with bubbly at the Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Garden, guzzle margs at the Dobel Tequila Bar, get tropical at the Botran Rum Lounge and sip G&T’s at the No.3 Gin Lounge, among others.

Miami Open presented by Itaú
Photograph: Courtesy Miami Open presented by Itaú

“We pride ourselves on delivering the most culturally immersive tennis tournament with elite on-court action and best-in-class food and beverage,” says Chris Clements, the Hard Rock Stadium’s senior vice president and chief financial officer. “This year, with an action-packed lineup of international tennis, elite wheelchair tennis and MLP, we look forward to offering fans the best tournament to date.”

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