The major transformation of Miami’s Gardens Hard Rock Stadium into the new premier tennis venue for the Miami Open will be featured on the Apr. 18 episode of “Inside Tennis with The Koz” at 12:30 p.m. on SNN TV in Florida.
Miami Open tournament founder Butch Buchholz will discuss the history of the tournament, beginning with its inaugural playing in 1985 as the Lipton Championships. The new Miami Open tennis complex at the Hard Rock Stadium, which debuted in 2019, features a 14,000 seat center court within the stadium itself. Tournament director James Blake will reveal his thoughts about the venue, which is also home to the Miami Dolphins. The Koz also hears from a list of tennis journalists including Ben Rothenberg (New York Times), Richard Pagliaro (Tennis Now), Peter Bodo (ESPN.com), Scoop Malinowski (BioFile), Sandra Harwitt (Washington Post), and Jim Martz (Florida Tennis Magazine), who share their thoughts on the incredible feat.
The show will also highlight the grand opening of The Lake Club tennis & pickleball center, which featured a tennis exhibition with former world No. 3 ranked singles and No. 2 ranked doubles player Brian Gottfried and Scott Shields, former top ten singles player in America and top 25 NCAA singles players representing Florida State University. In a sit-down interview, Gottfried reminisces about his pre-and-post Open tennis days.
The program also will include a visit to the Inspiration Tennis Academy tournament in Bradenton with academy founder and director Ashley Hobson.
To view the latest episode click below:
