James Blake Interview
The former World #5 player-turned Tournament Director gives his insights into running the ‘5th Slam’
Laykold has been the Official Surface of the Miami Open since the tournament began at Delray Beach in 1985, marking the longest partnership between a tournament and surface provider.
Laykold is an intrinsic part of the beloved event that’s widely regarded as the ‘5th Slam’. We sat down with Tournament Director (and former World #5 ranked player) James Blake for the inside track on the event, the challenges and joys of his role and his ambitions for the future.
On making the leap from player to Tournament Director
As a professional athlete, you’re driven and focused and everything revolves around your schedule. You can become a little isolated and forget that there's a big world outside of tennis. So once I retired, I wanted to get out of that mindset and see what else I had a passion for.
I spent a lot of time with my family, which is amazing, and I know how lucky I am to have retired from my first career so young and to have had the ability to be around my kids growing up.
I still had a passion for tennis after taking time away from it, and it made me think about how I could put all the lessons the game had taught me to use. A Tournament Director role seemed like a possibility.
On the challenges of the last few years:
My first year was a steep learning curve. Then we moved venues from Crandon Park at Key Biscayne to the Hard Rock Stadium, where we had a ton of firsts: new venue, new traffic patterns, new fans, new everything. And then COVID hit. This meant a year off followed by a year of COVID restrictions where we only operated at 20% capacity. We didn’t even build the stadium; we just had the grandstand.
So during my first three years, there was no normal and that's a lesson: you have to be ready and prepared for any situation and just do your best with what you're given.
Coming from being a player, I naturally want the players to be happy. But it's not just the players that are involved in the tournament: it's the staff, the volunteers, the media, the sponsors - everyone and everything that goes into making this tournament successful. We have to be aware of all of that and make it a good experience for everyone.
“It has a reputation as the ‘5th Slam’ because it has one of the biggest prizes, it’s one of the biggest tournaments and events and it’s a feather in anyone’s cap to claim that title.”
On what he loves about the Miami Open:
I loved it as a player because it's such a fun event. They call it the Sunshine Double, when you go from Indian Wells to Miami. And the Miami Open really captures the culture here: the food, the nightlife, the atmosphere and the fans. It's definitely a different vibe and pretty laid-back, which I love. But it also has a reputation as the ‘5th Slam’ because it has one of the biggest prizes, it’s one of the biggest tournaments and events and it’s a feather in anyone's cap to claim that title.
On how he measures tournament success:
For me, it's making sure that the players have the best experience. There's only one man and one woman, that leave the tournament as winners, but once everyone else has had time to collect themselves, I want them to say, ‘That was a great event.’ I don’t want them to look back thinking there is something we, as the tournament, should have done better.
The feedback I get afterwards from everyone involved is so important.
“Laykold is such a well-respected company with a proven track record and that’s why we trust that they’re going to do a great job of making sure that the courts are exactly what we ask for.”
On transforming a multi-sport venue for a tennis tournament:
We’ve got certain restrictions in terms of timeframe, so we’ve got to work quickly. When you have a tight deadline, you get things done, and our team is unbelievable at getting things done efficiently. Once the football season's over, we get right down to laying the courts, putting up the stands and transforming that football field into a stadium.
We’ve got plenty of space and a tournament that's geared towards a much larger audience, so that’s a huge bonus for us, as we were outgrowing Crandon Park.
On what makes a court surface great:
One of the biggest things for a high-profile event and for an event where the court is laid afresh each year is consistency. You’ve got to have consistency from the practice courts, to grandstand, to center court. You don't want someone warming up on a medium to slow court and then coming out to another one that plays fast and we achieve that consistency with Laykold. No player walks away with the court as a complaint.
On Laykold’s impact on the Miami Open:
The court is such an important part of the player's experience: we need to take it seriously and we absolutely do.
Laykold is such a well-respected company with a proven track record and that's why we trust that they're going to do a great job of making sure that the courts are exactly what we ask for. If we ask them to speed up the courts a tiny bit or to slow them down a little, Laykold always delivers the pace we require. Our experience of working with them over the years has been really positive.
On the role the Miami Open plays in inspiring local communities and growing the sport:
Through our Miami Unites campaign we get many of the players involved with helping local charities, especially ones that are close to their heart. We recognize that the community helps us to be successful and this is a way of giving back.
When you see top players up close, it really makes a difference. It inspires young people to play, which has a knock-on impact for future generations.
We really feel like we're a part of the Miami community and we try to incorporate the local community through the culture of the event as much as we possibly can.
On his ambitions for the Miami Open:
The players are doing an unbelievable job, so my role is to show the world how great they are.
As for the tournament itself, I just want it to continue to grow the game. I want all the events to continue to improve. In the same way, we as players, pushed each other to be better, I believe the top tournaments should do the same.
We noticed that in 2020 when COVID really hit, the US Open incorporated our idea of filling the suites with the seeded players and their entourage to watch the matches, and the players loved it. It feels good that we did something that a Grand Slam took note of and replicated, because it has a positive impact on the players.
We want to keep coming up with innovative ideas and making sure that tennis shines through as the premier sport that it deserves to be.
The 2024 Miami Open presented by Itaú will take place at Hard Rock Stadium from 17 to 31 March.