Sony Ericsson Open 2008

Crandon Park 3/27/2008

The day started off a little rough with our flight out of Atlanta canceled. We were booked on the next flight which turned out to be a better flight for us. Hartsfield was crowded and of course the gate had to change so there was the obligatory walking back and forth.

We arrived in Miami and went straight to our hotel, the Grand Bay Miami in Coconut Grove, dropped off our luggage and then hopped into a cab for the ride to the tournament site on Key Biscayne. $27.00 later we were in tennis heaven!

We started off by checking out the tournament site and getting a feel for what was happening and which were the best matches in progress. We realized very quickly that the action was everywhere, with players actively playing matches, warming up on the practice courts or just walking through the site along with everyone else.

Our first Stadium match was between Marat Safin and Boby Reynolds. Unfortunately Safin lost and it was only the first round. Doesn't look good for this season.

Unlike the US Open, the big name stars were everywhere and a day pass provided a great opportunity to see the best players in tennis today. We saw Nadal, Roder Federer, Serena Williams, Andy Murray, Ivo Karlovic, and Nicole Vaidisova all on the practice courts!

Friday March 28, 2008

Having decided that we couldn't afford to take a cab to the tournament site everyday we bought a tournament transportation pass for $25.00 a piece leaving, from several hotels in Coconut Grove. Of course our hotel was not on the pick up list, but that was okay. We walked over to the Mayfair Hotel to catch the bus and we were off for another great day of tennis.

We decided to spend the day in the stadium as the best matches were taking place there. We started off with Justin Henin v. Angelique Kerber. The match was
great with Justin bring home an easy win.

We then were treated to Serena beating Edina Gallovits.

The day continued with a most excellent match between Novak Djokovic and Kevin Anderson. Djokovic appeared to falter once the crowd turned against him. His need to bounce the ball for 15, 18 times before serving annoyed the crowd and he ended up getting a warning from the umpire.

Our trip wasn't only spent watching tennis. We spent time in Coconut Grove and South Beach. We didn't have a rent-a-car, so we relied on mass transportation which turned out to be a wise choice for this initial trip to Miami. We decided that the next time we go we will rent a car and see a little more of the Miami area. The great part of this trip was that our favorite players weren't just at the tennis tournament site but we saw them in the community too. We saw Amelie Mauresmo walking around Coconut Grove and Jo Wilfred Tsonga at the Mayfair Hotel book store.

Here we are having dinner in the Grove and Dinar Safina and her coach were seated just a few tables away! (Look over my right shoulder.)

Here are a few Do's and Don't's for a beginner at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.


Do:


Plan ahead. Go to the website of the tournament the night before and see the line up for the following day. Plan on who you want to see. Remember the best players have the biggest crowds and if you are planning on competing with people who only have day passes then get to the court early. We had to watch James Blake from the side lines because the line at the Grandstand was so long. Here's a great picture anyway!





Do go check out the practice courts from time to time! Look what we found!

Tommy Robredo

Andy Murray

Serena Williams


And the "World's #1" Roger Federer!

Do remember to watch doubles! You see the best action and since most of us play doubles, you can take home some tips too!

Lindsay Davenport and Daniela Hantuchova

Do take advantage of mass transportation. Miami has a great public transportation system and free bus service from the tournament to the Birkell Train Station. Even though we paid for transportation from the hotel, we would have been better off taking the city bus. The hired bus broke down and the company hired to provide transportation were never able to catch up and keep the buses running. On Saturday night the line was long to get back to the Grove so Woody and I were the only ones smart enough to abandon the private service and hop on the city bus. Needless to say, we didn't spend a bunch of time waiting around. Better still, Miami has a website called"where's the train".com that will let you know how long you have to wait on the next train. Everyone was really nice and very helpful!

Do get out and see the sights. It's not Miami without going to the beach!

Finally, Don't forget the sunscreen and have a great trip to the Sony Ericsson Open!