The entire site was crumbling and there was no room for practice courts.

 

Are you sure ,not something about new owner?
Maybe local tax payers didn't want to fund new facilities,it happens alot in American sport.
thats why alot of teams moving to another city,where tax payers happy to build new stadium or training facilities.

 

All I kept hearing was the event had far outgrown the site, and Key Biscayne residents blocked all expansion plans. Plus the traffic going from mainland Miami to the island was a nightmare.

 

Key Biscayne only 8 miles from Miami,Mason is 20 miles from Cincinnati.

 

...

"Straight out of Jurassic Park." Ehm.

 

Because it was getting old and they didn't want to renew the complex.

Miami was about to lose the M1000 status, Hard Rock Stadium actually saved them from becoming a 500.

 

I think it would have just moved entirely and remained a 1000. Maybe some place like Tampa/Orlando/Phoenix/Houston etc would have grabbed the event. Would have taken a few years perhaps to build a venue. I think it moves anyway given its highly likely to get bought

 

Money and politics

The same reason for most things

Even though the Key Biscayne location was more beautiful, the current spot is much more traffic friendly and geographically central

 

This isn't the subjet of this thread, but before KB, the "Miami" tournament (let's call it the Florida tournament for simplicity) was held at several venues.

Notably, in Delray Beach in 1985 with a draw of 128.
until 1989, but this will be reduced to 96 players in 1990 with the creation of the MSs

#17 · Jun 28, 2021

Historically, (and geographically) Miami's ancestors are in Florida, Boca West/Boca Raton, Fort Myers, Orlando or Delray Beach

Then from 1993 to 1997, DB is a World Series (on clay!) and an International Series until 1999.

Since 2000, equiv ATP 250 on hard courts.
That said, the site was (and still is) important for the time.

 

This isn't the subjet of this thread, but before KB, the "Miami" tournament (let's call it the Florida tournament for simplicity) was held at several venues.

Notably, in Delray Beach in 1985 with a draw of 128.
until 1989, but this will be reduced to 96 players in 1990 with the creation of the MSs

#17 · Jun 28, 2021

Then from 1993 to 1997, DB is a World Series (on clay!) and an International Series until 1990.

Since 2000, equiv ATP 250 on hard courts.
That said, the site was (and still is) important for the time.

Yes the Delray site is still very beautiful, right in the middle of the city

Went to high school just a few km away

 

remember when it was called lipton? lol

 

It was a bigger event than Indian Wells in those days, too.
How times have changed.

 

I know players complained a lot about the old venue. Cramped locker rooms, small gym, lack of practice courts and sometimes slow traffic to downtown Miami.

Have to say it was pretty poor for spectators as well. The only scenic view was from the top row of the centre court and in the shuttle on the way to the tennis.

 

This is no longer relevant now, but the FFT has long discussed three other alternative venues to new Roland Garros (which is almost entirely within Paris intra muros):

Versailles, Marne-la-Vallée, and Gonesse

Roland-Garros : Gonesse et Marne-La-Vallée dévoilent leurs atouts

Roland-Garros : Versailles revient dans la course avec un séduisant projet

@duong had developed this

Discussion starter·#23·Mar 22, 2013 (Edited)

PorkBarrel said:
I can definitely see the private landowners being an issue but I'm surprised by the environmental aspect to the problem, given France's preference for nuclear power. I would've thought that there are several planning hurdles in France if the Parisian architecture is anything to go by...unlike London where anything can be built (aesthetics be damned).

Environment is quite important in France, and the "Greens" (environmental party) are at the moment part of the coalition who leads the city of Paris, and they have a very important role in Paris. The nuclear orientation of the country was decided after the second world war in very different times.

Roland-Garros at the moment is in a very restricted place, surrounded by the ring (Périphérique) and the highway (A13), but most importantly by natural grounds : the "Boulogne wood" (Bois de Boulogne), and a historical public garden (Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil).

The plan so far was to build in a part of the space currently held by the "Serres d'Auteuil" hence the environmental associations complaints.

And alternative plans may hurt the "Bois de Boulogne".

There's also a matter of cost of course, the French Open relied on a small help by the city but some people disagree with that and consider that they should not be helped, sport being a secundary matter (and also a matter which concerns rather the national and international community rather than "only Parisians").

Many people in France actually think that the equation is nearly impossible and anyway too complicated and most importantly the limits will stay in the long term, and the French Tennis Federation should have taken the decision to move outside Paris (3 places were thought of : Versailles, Marne-la-Vallée and Gonesse) rather than keeping that "traditional view".

Actually, at the moment, among slams, only Melbourne Park is built inside the city of Melbourne but they own a much bigger space of land.

The French Tennis federation doesn't even own the land where Roland-Garros takes place : they rent it from the city, and some consider that the rent they're paying currently is too small (a report from the city said that they should rent it 19 million euros a year rather than 1.5 they paid in the past, and 8 millions they will have to play in 2018 after the city did increase it).

The lawsuit recently lost by the French Open imposed the city to change their contract with the French Open, saying that they didn't pay enough. The French Open will try to shorten the concession (99 years at the moment) rather than paying more.

As you can see, they have big big problems at the moment.


Discussion starter·#27·Mar 22, 2013 (Edited)

PorkBarrel said:
Major events are a crucial factor - the Stade de France was purpose built for the 1998 WC once France won the right to host. If Paris had got the Olympics I assume they would've held the tourney at RG. There would've been plenty of opportunity to buy up land around RG, or getting an out of town option underway. Alas.

yes definitely, the Olympics in Paris would have opened many opportunities which did not open for sports federations.

PorkBarrel said:
The Parisian rents will only go up, so...is it too late to look out of town? Versailles would be a wonderful location but Marne-la-Vallee makes more sense - there are several hotels so they should have a headstart on player accommodation.

they took a decision in 2011 when those cities had plans (the one in Versailles which looked the most pleasant looked the least welcome though, the French Tennis Federation would have owned the land in Marne-la-Vallée and Gonesse but not in Versailles, Marne-la-Vallée actually was the finalist in the competition with Paris).

And now it's hard to change back, it would be a terrible failure for the president of the federation of course and even more for the mayor of Paris who wanted the tournament to stay in Paris despite the opposition of his "green" very important allies, and so many years and work wasted if they did ... at the moment they do everything to achieve their initial plan but yes, it's more and more complicated, constantly delayed and gets more costly, and many people keep on and on regretting the initial choice and telling them to change back, especiallly the enemies of the current plan of course but not only

... especially former French tennis players like Mauresmo or Forget actually said that they didn't speak loudly enough but they thought that moving from Paris was the only suitable plan on the long term.

The tournament could have moved from Paris to Marne-la-Vallée in 2016, the whole stadium would have been ready with roofs and all. At the moment, the new stadium in Paris will not be ready before 2018, and even more likely 2019.

 

I’m happy I attended the tournament when it was in Key Biscayne

 

If u ever went to Key Biscayne towards the end u would certainly understand the event had outgrown that venue. The venue was old and crumbling and it badly needed either a facelift or to move and they chose to move which was a good decision.

 

I love the old site, both in person and on tv. The ocean, palm trees, Miami skyline were all magical, plus so close to south beach and energy. The current location is so sterile, it literally could be in a Midwest city and you wouldn’t know.

 

I love the old site, both in person and on tv. The ocean, palm trees, Miami skyline were all magical, plus so close to south beach and energy. The current location is so sterile, it literally could be in a Midwest city and you wouldn’t know.

You didn't see any of that when you were at the venue though?

 

Changing venues: The Miami Open’s move to Hard Rock Stadium

Changing venues. Sooner or later sports organisations change their home base. In this first instalment of three articles we take a look at the Miami Open.

www.scoreandchange.com

During the 2013 Miami Masters, plans were unveiled to fully renovate Crandon Park Tennis Center which would include building three permanent show courts.[3][4] Legal issues regarding restrictions on the Park's usage prevented the plan's implementation.[5][6] The subsequent move of the Miami Open to Hard Rock Stadium presumably ended any efforts to redevelop the site.[7]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennis_Center_at_Crandon_Park

 

imo, Key Biscayne was the #1 tournament site in the history of professional tennis in terms of the natural surroundings.

They talked about moving it as much as 15 years earlier, but it was such a spectacular location that it was hard to give it up. The town was never going to allow an expansion across the east side of Crandon Boulevard to the public beaches, and you can't blame them for that.

once the move became inevitable (probably as early as 2010), IMG completely stopped investing in the upkeep of the site and it started get quite run-down. I'd still take a run-down Key Biscayne over the Hard Rock parking lot any time though...

 

Key Biscayne was a legendary venue in modern tennis.

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/tennis/article205771459.html

 

This reminds me when Roland Garros destroyed Court 1 as well... Sometimes, it is better to keep things small.

 

I’m not sure why people are arguing. Key Biscayne is a nightmare to drive through on the best of days, according to people I know who have visited for work and to visit family there. Crandon Park was no longer viable and that’s that. I miss it too but the tournament couldn’t stay.

 

Ah, that's what happened.

He finally got the 2005 plaque, and he wasn't the only one who asked...

I wonder what happened to the others.

It was planned to go all the way around, and there were still some free plates available.

"Although its destruction was necessary for the expansion of the new Roland-Garros, this court, designed like an arena by Jean Lovera, was a symbol.

Rafael Nadal knew this, having retrieved the plaque bearing his name when he won the tournament for the first time. Virginie Ruzici also asked to be allowed to reclaim a "piece" of this eternal building."

Insolite > Le célèbre court 1, cette fois, c'est réellement terminé - We Love Tennis

 

it was better when it was played in lipton. kidding lol