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Miami sure is a starfucker of a town. Some Miamians would show up to a letter opening if an A-lister was on the invite, but a lack of starpower can be deadly for attendance.
So maybe it’s not too much of a surprise that as the Miami Masters (now officially known as the Sony Open) kicks off today in Key Biscayne, ticket sales are down thanks to the absence of Roger Federer and Rafeal Nadal.
Their rivalry has dominated the sport for the better part of the last decade, but both elected to sit out the Miami tourney this year. Both are taking time off to train and spend time with family and friends.
According to The Daily Tennis Newswire, ticket sales at the Sony Open are hurting because of it.
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“Two storms came together for two completely different reasons for them both not to be here. We still have the top eight men and top nine women,” says tournament director Adam Barrett. “You miss those guys; they’re great ambassadors of the game. You play with the field you have and we have a great field. Ticket sales are slightly down, but we’re talking percentages after three record years in a row.”
Indeed, even without Rafa and Roger, Crandon Park will still play host to the rest of the player’s in the top ten, including current number one Novak Djokovic and number three Andy Murray (a local of sorts as he owns a condo here and trains here during the offseason).
But apparently the effect for Miamians is like a Heat game where both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are sitting on the benches: not that hot of a ticket.
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