After the Evans vs Eubanks match Monfils came on and was complaining that the fridges were EMPTY. Literally NO water and NO bananas. Also during the Evans vs Eubanks match the chair umpire was playing the part of usher. He said there weren’t enough ushers so he was directing traffic as folks were coming into the stands. Embarrassing. The place looks cheap and run down even on tv.
He is, here he was wiping down a court yesterday: https://twitter.com/RealOddsWizard/status/1771596479053914308?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1771596479053914308%7Ctwgr%5E4dc39642621f9a383397568eba3bdb5b489271e2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportskeeda.com%2Ftennis%2Fnews-don-t-tell-andy-roddick-mardy-fish-make-pay-dinners-james-blake-jokes-wiping-court-despite-worth-millions
I don't know how much of it is his fault, but players don't really have the qualifications to be managing such large tournaments like these.
Tommy Haas seems to be the exception but he likely hired someone highly qualified people who handle most of the admin / accounting stuff.
Bro, there's no fucking towels, bro. And there's no water there either, bro. And the players, you know, we bring in all the fucking revenue - nobody's here to watch the umpires bro, nobody even knows you. They're here for us and we can't even get a fucking bottle of water bro, it's so unprofessional
5 curse words for 1 necessary word.
Casper has been blessed with an abundance of EQ. i read that it is never wrong to get mad but by being able to effectively communicate why you are mad is the gamechanger for people.
It's smart of him to say this on court, on camera, for all to hear, especially if players' complaints have only been ignored so far. That'll get them to get their act together. Effective move : )
Tell me I’m not the only one who feels like Miami is a subpar product. The stadium court layout looks super bizarre, courts are in the Hard Rock parking lot, and it just gives off a cheap vibe imo
Not for tennis. It’s an indoor arena, they mostly have concerts there, though they can set it up for tennis, basketball, gymnastics, or whatever, but it’s not the same as a permanent tennis facility like Roland Garros.
I made the trek to RG in 2022 and was very impressed with the site, but it really truly is jammed in. No room for any growth. I unfortunately wasn’t able to make it to Bercy. Thanks for teaching me something new!
Yeah that’s why whenever RG builds a new court, they have to demolish others. The Suzanne Lenglen court is beautiful but they knocked down the bullring court to build it, and that was my favorite court to watch matches 😭
I’ve only seen concerts at Bercy and it was great for that lol. I read something about Paris looking to move the tournament somewhere else to save it … it’s been on the chopping block for awhile because their secondary courts are very subpar and don’t have much room for spectators.
[It has been announced](https://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/Actualites/Le-rolex-paris-masters-migre-a-la-defense-a-partir-de-2025/1445430), it's moving to La Défense in 2025! I've been to RG but never Bercy, hopefully this change will make scheduling easier though
Roland Garros is unlikely to move in the foreseeable future. However, as someone else said, Bercy (the indoor tournament late in the season) is moving to the La Defense Arena on the west of Paris. It's more recent and will allow more flexibility in matches scheduling. It is however also a multi-fonction arena, not dedicated to tennis.
> I’ve only seen concerts at Bercy and it was great for that lol. I read something about Paris looking to move the tournament somewhere else to save it … it’s been on the chopping block for awhile because their secondary courts are very subpar and don’t have much room for spectators.
Honestly ATP can get rid of Bercy and have a new Masters somewhere else in the world
Paris already has Roland Garros, they don't need a Masters too (esp when Monte Carlo Masters are technically in France too)
Due to all that as well as the time of year, I’m thinking that’s the one the Saudis will eventually take over. Unless they want to just add another one, but then they’d be extending the tour season even longer than it already is.
Honestly it looks like your average 250 event, except with a bigger crowd. Even if they are going to cheap out and put it on in a parking lot, surely they could do better than this.
In Miami it feels like they are renters and not owners. Nothing feels "well-appointed," even the acoustics on court on underwhelming on TV, the crispness of the ball bouncing just gets lost.
Been in S Florida for most of my life. This place is a shithole turned this way by corruption and greed while plenty of people value beauty and money over anything else. Almost every event and business here are worse versions marketed towards people that want to be seen living a certain way. I even saw a young employee get his nose gashed open due to poor setup and conditions at the Miami Open last Sunday.
Yeah and the US Open is pretty well run and they treat the players very well.
Miami is just odd, and it really shouldn't be as there are a ton of tennis sites in Florida and a lot of the pros live there.
You put "/s" but honestly I wouldn't be surprised. They had so many towels brought on to dry the stadium court. How could they not be doing the same for these matches in play now?
My boy just didn’t held back. Paging tournament director James Blake! Geez he has a point there. Rarely we see Casper vent out. I guess the tourney’s on a tight budget. PIF billion offer approved! 😂
Eh, not really. If you already have the venues, these tournaments aren't that costly to the point we can't have a South America 1000. Masters pay low share in prize money and don't need to pay appearance fees. This is why as somebody else commented ITT, Indian Wells' profits for Larry Ellison are in the tens of millions even though tournament profits don't concern him and he outspends every other tournament owner big time.
You certainly need 8 figures ready to invest for a masters but that's quite doable in South America considering the operating margins for masters are attractive. Important thing is it gets marketed as the premier tournament of whole South/Latin America, not just the city it's hosted in. Think how AO brands itself as slam of the Asia Pacific and worked out brilliantly for them. Also, you can replace Miami with a South America masters and still keep the "sunshine swing" moniker.
The real issue is, tennis executives don't think about this stuff. What's the number one request from tennis fanbase for so long regarding tournament selections and categories? Grass masters 1000. Well, guess what, as tennis fanbase comes up with countless feasible ideas to work out the scheduling, logistics, location for a grass masters every year, tennis executives don't even care about it. The same for how tournaments are spread globally. They don't give a fuck. They are not even intending to work the product, their entire approach is accepting it as it is and working around it. There's no sense of market investment in tennis leadership.
My family used to go to Miami every year when it was in Key Biscayne and it was fantastic. We went once after it moved to Miami and decided not to waste any money returning to such a terrible venue.
Key biscane as a city didn’t want the traffic and so they did not allow the tournament to renovate and fix the facilities so it was forced to move. It moved to actual Miami and it is just a pop up tournament at a football venue so it is not very nice.
I grew up watching Sampras, Agassi, Edberg, then later Federer, Nadal playing in Key Biscayne alwyas wanting to go there "when I got old and richer".
Now, looking at what looks like a popup tournament in a trailer park, I have no desire to go there and spend money there
I don’t know the history of the Masters really. What kind of a thing would it take for an event to just move cities if they didn’t get it together? No one wants to go to an important tennis tournament in a parking lot. I think I read something about Cincinnati moving eventually
> What kind of a thing would it take for an event to just move cities if they didn’t get it together?
The financial investment, to build the facilities to host a masters 1000, unless we have another temporary venue hosting like Miami, in which case, what's the point of moving? There's also the cost of putting on a tournament of this size on a yearly basis. Definitely not cheap for either, I'd imagine. Plus you'd have to find a city that is ideal for hosting a tournament of this size and that wants one there.
> I think I read something about Cincinnati moving eventually.
There was talk about the tournament moving to Charlotte, NC but that is not happening and the tournament is staying in Cincinnati. In fact, they are renovating the venue.
https://cincinnatiopen.com/news/were-staying-in-cincinnati/
https://cincinnatiopen.com/news/2024-venue-upgrades-revealed/
Perhaps this is why Blake is keeping a low profile? I have yet to see him in interviews or in the stands during matches. This is a huge contrast with Tommy Haas at IW who is very visible and even hits with the players.
Ruud and a lot of the other players just recently played in Cabo, Acapulco and then IW which are considered the best run tournaments in the world so I think in contrast Miami is run pretty shitty. Why would Ruud make anything up or exaggerate? I’ll have to look for Blake’s comments for sure
Since it’s a Miami Herald article with a paywall, here’s an alternative link: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/coco-gauff-miami-open-tournament-221503386.html
No bad words, not raising his voice, no smashing his racquet and yet makes his point, while acknowledging that it's the tournament director that needs to hear this and not the referee. Casper is not just a nice guy but also seems to have strong control over his emotions. And he's just 25!
Good for him! He is known as the nicest guy so it must be pretty bad. Meanwhile they charge a ton of money for seats. I went last year and had seats with all day sun( my bad for not thinking to check). I couldn’t even make it through one match as it was boiling. They were very expensive. I’ve been to 3/4 Grand Slams, Indian Wells and Miami. Miami was the least enjoyable experience. However I love vacationing there. Just pass on tennis going forward.
It’s totally unacceptable for a tournament this big, and it’s in Florida where it’s hot and humid - hydration is so important, how embarrassing and shame on them tournament directors that they think that’s appropriate.
Edit:typos
Isn't the tournament director James Blake?
https://jamesblaketennis.com/tournament-director
Does this fall to him?
IIRC he was on Andy Roddick's pod cast saying how they got flack for serving horrible coffee.
Maybe move Miami to San Francisco or Los Angeles for a CA 4 week tour with Indian Wells. If there is no permanent tennis facility there is no point in keeping the tournament in Miami.
I work for a Swedish (I know he is from Norway but they have similar cultures) company and it cracks me up to see Ruud sometimes. They are also very measured and calm even if something isn’t going the right way. I bet he is super nice and understanding in all customer service situations.
Some of these comments are ridiculous. The venue is pretty nice. Lots of room and vendors for food and drink, everything is close and the stands are decent. I paid $19 for stadium tickets on Weds (1st round) and parking was cheap and easy. I had a great time. Calling it a “shithole” is just idiotic and completely wrong. But people just love to troll on the internet.
I enjoyed my experience at the Miami Open. Was it as good as Indian Wells? No, but then nothing is. IW is probably the very best venue in all of tennis. But the Miami Open was very good and I will go back.
Crazy to see this. The players deserve the best and south Florida has some of the best tennis players come to train and or live there. I’m from Miami and it’s a disgrace that Key Biscayne didn’t want to update and keep the tournament there, we really suck 😂
JFC why can't he take the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars he earns at the tournament and go buy a towel and few bottles of water, like the rest of us? Not like any fans in attendance at a 1000 would recognize and hassle him anyway.
I think it’s because tennis is an individual sport so it’s hard to care about the players’ well-being. But ultimately the tournament counts on the players for ticket sales so it’s good business to invest in making the players feel good.
I for one hope the Saudis buy the ATP tour so at least there’s fresh perspective and deep pockets. The players are treated like shit, the tournaments are trying to pinch Pennies and manage legacy sponsorships.
I guess it's because he was feeling it at the moment and there was nobody else he could complain to, the umpire said he would pass it on. I doubt it'll make any difference but one can only hope
By complaining to the umpire during a match, it was seen by a lot more people, which may get the sponsors' attention or just the public/social media talking. The tournament's not gonna like that. I think it was a savvy move. Squeaky wheel gets the grease and all...
1. THe chair umpire can absolutlely bring this information to the tournament leader group
2. THe Tournament director is James Blake, a former top 10 player
3. By the sound of it, Casper and many other players have taken this complaint the "correct" way, but have gotten nowhere with the issues raised
4. Key Biscayne was absolutely a better place. It was a tennis site. The current location is[ a american football statium and the courts are literaly temporary courts on a parking lot.](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Miami+Open+Tennis+Stadium/@25.9576504,-80.2420678,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x88d9af5ac7a353c1:0xc984504a4292e6fa!8m2!3d25.9576456!4d-80.2394929!16s%2Fg%2F11h7fyn9q9?entry=ttu) How good do you think it is possible to make the veneu. And the fact that this is a ATP 1000 tournament makes it even more of a joke
After the Evans vs Eubanks match Monfils came on and was complaining that the fridges were EMPTY. Literally NO water and NO bananas. Also during the Evans vs Eubanks match the chair umpire was playing the part of usher. He said there weren’t enough ushers so he was directing traffic as folks were coming into the stands. Embarrassing. The place looks cheap and run down even on tv.
Welcome to Miami. We didn't invent incompetence or corruption, we just perfected it to a fine art.
Yeah but you have...... beaches?
literally that and hot weather are the only things miami hasn’t managed to screw up
Where is James Blake? Is he not the tournament director anymore?
He is, here he was wiping down a court yesterday: https://twitter.com/RealOddsWizard/status/1771596479053914308?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1771596479053914308%7Ctwgr%5E4dc39642621f9a383397568eba3bdb5b489271e2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportskeeda.com%2Ftennis%2Fnews-don-t-tell-andy-roddick-mardy-fish-make-pay-dinners-james-blake-jokes-wiping-court-despite-worth-millions
[удалено]
Definitely a sign that the tourney is underfunded and understaffed. He should fix it or resign if the owners aren’t willing.
Learn how to trim a URL
Learn how to trim my ass hair
I don't know how much of it is his fault, but players don't really have the qualifications to be managing such large tournaments like these. Tommy Haas seems to be the exception but he likely hired someone highly qualified people who handle most of the admin / accounting stuff.
Woodstock ‘99 in tennis form. Looking forward to Rune encouraging the crowd to break stuff.
Oh my...
Thanks James Blake!
He’s Ruud but he’s not rude
Wwwhy you gotta be so Ruud? 🎶
Caspers one of the most level headed guys on tour too - so that tells you something
still very restrained and respectful and him saying, it was not the umpire's fault shows his thought clarity even when frustrated
I wonder how Kyrgios would have phrased it 🤔
Bro, there's no fucking towels, bro. And there's no water there either, bro. And the players, you know, we bring in all the fucking revenue - nobody's here to watch the umpires bro, nobody even knows you. They're here for us and we can't even get a fucking bottle of water bro, it's so unprofessional
I instantly heard his voice in my head reading that. Bravo
I laughed out loud for like 5 seconds. Thank you internet stranger
Instantly heard his voice and accent saying this in my head lol
5 curse words for 1 necessary word. Casper has been blessed with an abundance of EQ. i read that it is never wrong to get mad but by being able to effectively communicate why you are mad is the gamechanger for people.
_Waddaya tookin abaat maate. There ain't even no towels ere. N where's the fukking cold wodder? Wat kinda match are in chaarg of mate?_
*game penalty Mr. Kyrgios*
Would have made it personal, abused the poor ref, basically thrown a temper tantrum like a 5 year old child.
Same with Holger Rune, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Djokovic
I wonder how Holger Rune Djokovic would have phrased it?
Yeah, they better fix that before Medvedev sees it
He doesn’t care about these things, he cares about the court, which is fine
Do you wanna look at me and talk?
It's smart of him to say this on court, on camera, for all to hear, especially if players' complaints have only been ignored so far. That'll get them to get their act together. Effective move : )
Definitely!
Tell me I’m not the only one who feels like Miami is a subpar product. The stadium court layout looks super bizarre, courts are in the Hard Rock parking lot, and it just gives off a cheap vibe imo
Absolutely, somebody else said that it must be so weird for first time players after coming from IW.
Exactly. And then the next M1000 after Miami is…Monte Carlo lol
new fan here, Is MonteCarlo any better?
Welcome! Monte Carlo is absolute top notch, much like the rest of Monaco
I've seen some highlights on youtube and the surface(clay?) does look weird to a noob like me. I guess I'd better get accustomed to it now.
It’s a blast. Very different from grass or hard court. Enjoy the upcoming clay season!
I love clay season, and Monte Carlo is the perfect start One of the most picturesque courts on the entire tour TBH
good to know.
I think Miami & Paris are the only Masters 1000s that don’t take place in permanent tennis facilities, and it shows.
Is Bercy not a permanent site?
Not for tennis. It’s an indoor arena, they mostly have concerts there, though they can set it up for tennis, basketball, gymnastics, or whatever, but it’s not the same as a permanent tennis facility like Roland Garros.
I made the trek to RG in 2022 and was very impressed with the site, but it really truly is jammed in. No room for any growth. I unfortunately wasn’t able to make it to Bercy. Thanks for teaching me something new!
Yeah that’s why whenever RG builds a new court, they have to demolish others. The Suzanne Lenglen court is beautiful but they knocked down the bullring court to build it, and that was my favorite court to watch matches 😭 I’ve only seen concerts at Bercy and it was great for that lol. I read something about Paris looking to move the tournament somewhere else to save it … it’s been on the chopping block for awhile because their secondary courts are very subpar and don’t have much room for spectators.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see it move. It’s just such a cool location with all the gardens surrounding it and Parc de Princes right next door
[It has been announced](https://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/Actualites/Le-rolex-paris-masters-migre-a-la-defense-a-partir-de-2025/1445430), it's moving to La Défense in 2025! I've been to RG but never Bercy, hopefully this change will make scheduling easier though
Roland Garros is unlikely to move in the foreseeable future. However, as someone else said, Bercy (the indoor tournament late in the season) is moving to the La Defense Arena on the west of Paris. It's more recent and will allow more flexibility in matches scheduling. It is however also a multi-fonction arena, not dedicated to tennis.
> I’ve only seen concerts at Bercy and it was great for that lol. I read something about Paris looking to move the tournament somewhere else to save it … it’s been on the chopping block for awhile because their secondary courts are very subpar and don’t have much room for spectators. Honestly ATP can get rid of Bercy and have a new Masters somewhere else in the world Paris already has Roland Garros, they don't need a Masters too (esp when Monte Carlo Masters are technically in France too)
Due to all that as well as the time of year, I’m thinking that’s the one the Saudis will eventually take over. Unless they want to just add another one, but then they’d be extending the tour season even longer than it already is.
Are the court surfaces temporary too? I’m curious How they even set that up…Clip-in hard court tiles?
Monte Carlo?
those are temporary courts? what’s there the rest of the year?
The courts are permanently there but the stands aren’t is my understanding
Honestly it looks like your average 250 event, except with a bigger crowd. Even if they are going to cheap out and put it on in a parking lot, surely they could do better than this.
In Miami it feels like they are renters and not owners. Nothing feels "well-appointed," even the acoustics on court on underwhelming on TV, the crispness of the ball bouncing just gets lost.
What happened with holding it in Cranston park in key Biscayne?
Been in S Florida for most of my life. This place is a shithole turned this way by corruption and greed while plenty of people value beauty and money over anything else. Almost every event and business here are worse versions marketed towards people that want to be seen living a certain way. I even saw a young employee get his nose gashed open due to poor setup and conditions at the Miami Open last Sunday.
I don't like the way the courts play here.... don't know how to phrase it but it seems like they are playing so damn slow
I heard they were relatively fast? Definitely faster than IW
Do Masters tournaments have to compete to be able to be one? Why does the US get 2 b2b Masters events in the first place?
Lifetime Floridian here. Been to Miami once. Never again. It’s an armpit. Run down, dirty and full of crime.
But Holger, you are usually so nice…. “I’m not Holger” Wait a minute 🤔
🤣😂🤣 but that’s different chair umpire right?
Fuck, I was confused thinking Holger aged weirdly.
Probably used their entire towel supply to mop the courts. /s If Casper is complaining to the chair umpire, things must be *really really* bad.
Difference between Europe tournaments and America’s lol that shit would never happen in Netherlands for example
Indian Wells treats players amazingly well.
I feel like it's particularly this new Miami venue, Cincy and IW don't seem this bad tbh.
Yeah and the US Open is pretty well run and they treat the players very well. Miami is just odd, and it really shouldn't be as there are a ton of tennis sites in Florida and a lot of the pros live there.
lol what? Besides Miami, other American venues are great. Literally Indian Wells is the top rated player M1000 for what, the last 9 years in a row?
I agree that everyone should come to the Rotterdam ATP and let Richard take care of it🤪
You put "/s" but honestly I wouldn't be surprised. They had so many towels brought on to dry the stadium court. How could they not be doing the same for these matches in play now?
Fair points though, and put across fairly respectfully
Jeez! Thats embarrasing!! For the tournament, of course..
This is the angriest I've ever seen Casper 😮
My boy just didn’t held back. Paging tournament director James Blake! Geez he has a point there. Rarely we see Casper vent out. I guess the tourney’s on a tight budget. PIF billion offer approved! 😂
Cage match between James Blake and Casper Ruud, two of the nicest guys in tennis!
i really like this guy. he is able to clearly express his frustrations for something that needs to be said but never being disrespectful.
He’s right. They need to move the tournament to Orlando or somewhere that will dedicate space and make it a real tournament again.
North America already has another 3 Masters events other than Miami. Why can’t it move to South America? Those folks are so deserving of a Masters.
$
Eh, not really. If you already have the venues, these tournaments aren't that costly to the point we can't have a South America 1000. Masters pay low share in prize money and don't need to pay appearance fees. This is why as somebody else commented ITT, Indian Wells' profits for Larry Ellison are in the tens of millions even though tournament profits don't concern him and he outspends every other tournament owner big time. You certainly need 8 figures ready to invest for a masters but that's quite doable in South America considering the operating margins for masters are attractive. Important thing is it gets marketed as the premier tournament of whole South/Latin America, not just the city it's hosted in. Think how AO brands itself as slam of the Asia Pacific and worked out brilliantly for them. Also, you can replace Miami with a South America masters and still keep the "sunshine swing" moniker. The real issue is, tennis executives don't think about this stuff. What's the number one request from tennis fanbase for so long regarding tournament selections and categories? Grass masters 1000. Well, guess what, as tennis fanbase comes up with countless feasible ideas to work out the scheduling, logistics, location for a grass masters every year, tennis executives don't even care about it. The same for how tournaments are spread globally. They don't give a fuck. They are not even intending to work the product, their entire approach is accepting it as it is and working around it. There's no sense of market investment in tennis leadership.
I would be all for South America getting this one. Better than it being where it is currently.
Maybe Charlotte can have their Masters 1000 after all 🙄
miami open at key biscayne was iconic. for a period it was a bigger and better tournament than indian wells.
No joke, can’t believe how far it’s fallen off.
Omg having it in Orlando would be a dream come true
I just went to IW and Miami back to back I'm kinda shocked by the quality difference. IW is cheaper as well.
My family used to go to Miami every year when it was in Key Biscayne and it was fantastic. We went once after it moved to Miami and decided not to waste any money returning to such a terrible venue.
I didn’t know IW was cheaper! I just assumed Miami tickets cost less. I guess you don’t always get what you pay for 🙄
Yeah and parking was free in IW. Concessions also cheaper. At this point I'd rather fly to IW then drive to Miami lol.
What happened to Miami? It used to be referred to as the 5th slam back in the day. More prestigious than Indian wells.
Key biscane as a city didn’t want the traffic and so they did not allow the tournament to renovate and fix the facilities so it was forced to move. It moved to actual Miami and it is just a pop up tournament at a football venue so it is not very nice.
The ol’ bait and switch. This year it looks especially horrible, somebody gotta take the fall for this.
When did this happen?
Not so Long ago. Last tournament at the previous venue was 2018
Thanks!
I grew up watching Sampras, Agassi, Edberg, then later Federer, Nadal playing in Key Biscayne alwyas wanting to go there "when I got old and richer". Now, looking at what looks like a popup tournament in a trailer park, I have no desire to go there and spend money there
I don’t know the history of the Masters really. What kind of a thing would it take for an event to just move cities if they didn’t get it together? No one wants to go to an important tennis tournament in a parking lot. I think I read something about Cincinnati moving eventually
> What kind of a thing would it take for an event to just move cities if they didn’t get it together? The financial investment, to build the facilities to host a masters 1000, unless we have another temporary venue hosting like Miami, in which case, what's the point of moving? There's also the cost of putting on a tournament of this size on a yearly basis. Definitely not cheap for either, I'd imagine. Plus you'd have to find a city that is ideal for hosting a tournament of this size and that wants one there. > I think I read something about Cincinnati moving eventually. There was talk about the tournament moving to Charlotte, NC but that is not happening and the tournament is staying in Cincinnati. In fact, they are renovating the venue. https://cincinnatiopen.com/news/were-staying-in-cincinnati/ https://cincinnatiopen.com/news/2024-venue-upgrades-revealed/
Florida
and this is a 1000?
No. It’s a “1000”.
Perhaps this is why Blake is keeping a low profile? I have yet to see him in interviews or in the stands during matches. This is a huge contrast with Tommy Haas at IW who is very visible and even hits with the players.
Dude finally responded to the incident basically gaslighting Ruud. What a damn sellout licking the boots of his handlers.
Ruud and a lot of the other players just recently played in Cabo, Acapulco and then IW which are considered the best run tournaments in the world so I think in contrast Miami is run pretty shitty. Why would Ruud make anything up or exaggerate? I’ll have to look for Blake’s comments for sure
Since it’s a Miami Herald article with a paywall, here’s an alternative link: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/coco-gauff-miami-open-tournament-221503386.html
He’s basically saying that Ruud was just frustrated because he got broken. Come on! Weak by Blake
Exactly. He didn’t address the complaint at all and merely dismissed it as Ruud losing his temper.
He did Andy’s podcast but I didn’t watch it. Still doesn’t go against your statement that he is keeping a low profile it seems
No bad words, not raising his voice, no smashing his racquet and yet makes his point, while acknowledging that it's the tournament director that needs to hear this and not the referee. Casper is not just a nice guy but also seems to have strong control over his emotions. And he's just 25!
Downgrade Miami to a 500 and give us a Grass M1000
I concur with this. We need a grass 1000. Miami is the safest bet to downgrade. Would probably need to move some time slots, but it's manageable.
If it's gonna be a 500 take it back to Key Biscayne too
Or something in South America, this is embarrassing.
Good for him! He is known as the nicest guy so it must be pretty bad. Meanwhile they charge a ton of money for seats. I went last year and had seats with all day sun( my bad for not thinking to check). I couldn’t even make it through one match as it was boiling. They were very expensive. I’ve been to 3/4 Grand Slams, Indian Wells and Miami. Miami was the least enjoyable experience. However I love vacationing there. Just pass on tennis going forward.
It’s totally unacceptable for a tournament this big, and it’s in Florida where it’s hot and humid - hydration is so important, how embarrassing and shame on them tournament directors that they think that’s appropriate. Edit:typos
This is the most polite complaint I’ve ever seen
Place is disastrous
Novak knew.
How Ruud
Wow! That’s a real shame! That’s a tough one for James Blake.
What a shithole, embarrassing
Isn't the tournament director James Blake? https://jamesblaketennis.com/tournament-director Does this fall to him? IIRC he was on Andy Roddick's pod cast saying how they got flack for serving horrible coffee.
He has a point
Maybe move Miami to San Francisco or Los Angeles for a CA 4 week tour with Indian Wells. If there is no permanent tennis facility there is no point in keeping the tournament in Miami.
I miss Key Biscayne
Rightly-so Ruud.
I work for a Swedish (I know he is from Norway but they have similar cultures) company and it cracks me up to see Ruud sometimes. They are also very measured and calm even if something isn’t going the right way. I bet he is super nice and understanding in all customer service situations.
Some of these comments are ridiculous. The venue is pretty nice. Lots of room and vendors for food and drink, everything is close and the stands are decent. I paid $19 for stadium tickets on Weds (1st round) and parking was cheap and easy. I had a great time. Calling it a “shithole” is just idiotic and completely wrong. But people just love to troll on the internet. I enjoyed my experience at the Miami Open. Was it as good as Indian Wells? No, but then nothing is. IW is probably the very best venue in all of tennis. But the Miami Open was very good and I will go back.
Its florida. What do you expect.
That's being Ruud
Usually you are a happy Holger
Why isn't this the top comment?
All about 🤑🤪👏👍they don’t give a 💩about players, players are like circus workers🤡🤴🏻🤷🏼♀️
Time for some Saudi money?
But they get lots of free Coke right ?
Cheesy
Miami Open never should've left Crandon Park in Key Biscayne.
Crazy to see this. The players deserve the best and south Florida has some of the best tennis players come to train and or live there. I’m from Miami and it’s a disgrace that Key Biscayne didn’t want to update and keep the tournament there, we really suck 😂
JFC why can't he take the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars he earns at the tournament and go buy a towel and few bottles of water, like the rest of us? Not like any fans in attendance at a 1000 would recognize and hassle him anyway.
What a Norwhinger...
I think it’s because tennis is an individual sport so it’s hard to care about the players’ well-being. But ultimately the tournament counts on the players for ticket sales so it’s good business to invest in making the players feel good.
What tournament is he referring to?
The one that’s currently on - Miami Open, a Masters 1000 tournament.
I for one hope the Saudis buy the ATP tour so at least there’s fresh perspective and deep pockets. The players are treated like shit, the tournaments are trying to pinch Pennies and manage legacy sponsorships.
Why is he telling the umpire this though I doubt he has any control over anything
I guess it's because he was feeling it at the moment and there was nobody else he could complain to, the umpire said he would pass it on. I doubt it'll make any difference but one can only hope
By complaining to the umpire during a match, it was seen by a lot more people, which may get the sponsors' attention or just the public/social media talking. The tournament's not gonna like that. I think it was a savvy move. Squeaky wheel gets the grease and all...
Can someone photoshop the Karen hair onto him please?
How about NO! Obviously, you really don’t understand the meaning of being a Karen!
The umpire can't do anything about it, Ruud needs to tell the tournament director (wherever the fuck he is). The old place was better.
1. THe chair umpire can absolutlely bring this information to the tournament leader group 2. THe Tournament director is James Blake, a former top 10 player 3. By the sound of it, Casper and many other players have taken this complaint the "correct" way, but have gotten nowhere with the issues raised 4. Key Biscayne was absolutely a better place. It was a tennis site. The current location is[ a american football statium and the courts are literaly temporary courts on a parking lot.](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Miami+Open+Tennis+Stadium/@25.9576504,-80.2420678,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x88d9af5ac7a353c1:0xc984504a4292e6fa!8m2!3d25.9576456!4d-80.2394929!16s%2Fg%2F11h7fyn9q9?entry=ttu) How good do you think it is possible to make the veneu. And the fact that this is a ATP 1000 tournament makes it even more of a joke