“I simply thought it was so cool, and I bear in mind desirous to see each single prime participant potential,” she tells New Times. “I bear in mind these days once I was first making an attempt to determine if I wished to be a professional later in life.”
Fast-forward to right this moment, and the 28-year-old Orlando resident has made a reputation for herself within the fast-paced sport. She’s ranked as excessive as quantity seven on the earth, made it to the quarterfinals of each Grand Slam event, and is definitely one of many main women of American tennis.
One of her first massive breaks got here on the Miami Open in 2011, when she earned a wild card entry into the event at 16. In 2023, she hopes to take dwelling the title at some of the aggressive tournaments in skilled tennis. This 12 months’s Miami Open kicks off on Sunday, March 19, and runs by April 2 at Hard Rock Stadium.
“Since the event has moved to Hard Rock Stadium, everybody thinks it is simply so cool. I imply, there’s a likelihood to play on a courtroom in a soccer stadium. It is in contrast to another stadium we play in,” Keys says. “I’ve had begin to the season thus far and am actually making an attempt to construct off that momentum. I even have somewhat little bit of a home-court benefit. Being so near dwelling has that feeling of a house event.”
As of press time, the highest ten women and men tennis gamers on the earth are confirmed to play within the Miami Open, together with Spanish phenom Carlos Alcaraz, French Open champion Rafael Nadal, ladies’s primary Iga Swiatek, and rising American stars Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula.
While the tennis motion reaches its pinnacle throughout the championship weekend on Saturday, April 1, and Sunday, April 2, a few of the event’s most intimate moments are skilled all through the week. The grounds embody ten competitors courts and 17 follow courts, the place followers can rise up shut and private with opponents.
Still, there may be a lot extra to the Miami Open expertise than simply tennis. On the artwork entrance, depend on murals and artwork installations scattered all through the grounds of Hard Rock Stadium. There will likely be a Final Set live performance sequence, a primary for the tourney, with performances by Cimafunk on Friday, March 31, and Kool & the Gang on Saturday, April 1.
Local eating places Omakai Sushi, Ella Café, Kiki on the River, Novecento, and extra will likely be onsite, mixing bites and drinks. Speaking of Novecento, Keys is a big-time fan of the Argentine restaurant.
“Every single time I’m in Miami, I’m going to Novecento,” she says. “Their dessert is out of this world, and because the night time will get later, it will get busier and livelier. It’s time, identical to Miami itself.”
Miami Open. March 19 by April 2, at Hard Rock Stadium, 347 Don Shula Dr., Miami; miamiopen.com. Single-session tickets begin at $15 through ticketmaster.com.