South Florida tennis fans may be watching the annual Miami Open from Hard Rock Stadium as of 2019 if a plan is approved by Miami-Dade County.
An agreement signed by officials who run the annual event on Key Biscayne would move the tournament – part of a plan by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to bring top events to the stadium.
Crandon Park has hosted the Miami Open annually since 1987.
Commissioners must approve the deal at a December meeting in order to move the event.
Commissioners approved a plan in 2014 to pay the Dolphins team and ownership up to $5 million each year for marquee events held at the stadium.
Ross has proposed building a facility in the area surrounding the stadium to host events, with the main matches being held inside the stadium. Hard Rock Stadium has been selected to host the Super Bowl in February 2020 and college football’s national title game the following January.
As part of the agreement to move locations, the tournament will pay the county $1.3 million and agree not to leave the county for 20 years.
Considered one of the top tennis events each year, the tournament was played in Delray Beach and Boca Raton for one year each before moving south.