The Miami Open and Laykold
38 years at the heart of tennis’s most dynamic market.
Laykold, the official surface of legendary players, matches, personalities and locations.
Laykold has been the official surface provider of the Miami Open since the tournament began in 1985 (then held at Delray Beach), marking the longest partnership between a tournament and surface provider.
With this partnership now extended to 2026, Laykold is an intrinsic part of the beloved event that’s widely regarded as the ‘Fifth Slam’.
Crandon Park – a tennis paradise
Mark Chellas, Director of Tennis for Cliff Drysdale Tennis and previously at the storied Crandon Park Tennis Center In Key Biscayne, where the tournament was held for 31 years, stated: ‘Crandon Park was special, because it was on an island, with beaches on either side. And the Miami Open was one of the first tournaments to spice things up with the look and feel of the courts, with the colors. They took a chance.
‘The Miami Open courts are resurfaced every year, so they’re pristine, perfect courts, and the players really appreciate that. Plus the fact that it’s in Miami: it’s a vibrant place, with so much to do and enjoy… Arguably, away from the Slams, Miami’s the favourite of the players.
‘One match I’ll never forget was the 2004 semi-final between Fernando González (CHI) and Guillermo Coria (ARG). The court was filled with passionate, vocal Argentinian and Chilean supporters, singing, cheering. It was like a football match.’
“With this partnership now extended to 2026, Laykold is an intrinsic part of the beloved event that’s widely regarded as the ‘Fifth Slam’.”
The Winter Wimbledon
The event was the brainchild of Butch Buchholz, a legendary tennis player and promoter. He created the two-week tournament and secured $1.5m in prize money from the Thomas J. Lipton Company. Dubbed the ‘winter Wimbledon’ the first winners where Martina Navratilova and Tim Mayotte.
In 1986 the event moved to Boca Raton and in 1987 it moved to Crandon Park. The facility kept growing until players like Steffi Graf, Pete Sampras, Gabriela Sabatini, Jim Courier and Andre Agassi started saying it was one of the best center courts in the world.
Hard Rock Tennis
The Miami Open relocated to Hard Rock Stadium (home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins) in Miami Gardens in 2019, after 31 years at Crandon Park.
Converting a football arena into a tennis venue is unique in the world of tennis and continues the event’s rich tradition of innovation and excitement, and further cements Florida as tennis’s most dynamic market.
The move to Hard Rock presented Laykold with a mighty challenge: creating fast-turnaround best-of-the-best courts with vivid new colors (Oasis Blue and Biscayne Blue) inside a working football stadium and its surrounding parking, requiring technical know-how and blue-sky thinking.
Laykold developed new technology that enabled court coatings to be laid on new asphalt within a reduced time period. This Laykold innovation is at the heart of Hard Rock Stadium’s ability to host the Miami Open shortly after delivering NFL matches, including the 2020 Super Bowl.
Josh Ripple, Senior Vice-President of IMG, stated, ‘When we moved to Hard Rock Stadium, we knew we needed to find some innovative solutions with regards to court construction and surfacing. Laykold rose to those challenges, meeting our needs for on-court ball visibility requirements for television broadcasts, pace rating consistency and precision, and transforming areas that were once parking lots into court surfaces within tight deadlines.”
It’s why eight of the top 13 hard-court events in North America trust and choose Laykold.
The Miami Open runs from Monday March 20 until Sunday April 2 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. See www.miamiopen.com for more details.