The Sony Ericsson Finals this weekend!
The Sony Ericsson Open is wrapping up at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park. This is one of the biggest non-Grand Slam tourneys in the world! Dubbed “The Winter Wimbledon”, since its inception in 1985, the top players in the world have played this tournament. Past winners have included Agassi, Federer, Djokovic, the Williams sisters, Steffi Graf, and Kim Clijsters.
This year, the world’s top players have descended upon Miami to compete for approximately $4 million in prize money (both men’s and women’s prize is approximately $4.5 million). Currently, those in attendance are Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick, Kim Clijsters, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki. Unfortunately, some of the favorites experienced some injuries. Clijsters was sidelined for 4 weeks with a torn hip muscle. Rafa Nadal withdrew due to a knee injury but hopes to heal quickly so that he can play the French Open in July. Venus Williams seemed to go out of her way not to make excuses about her physical condition (Sjogren’s syndrome is the chronic condition that leaves her easily fatigued).
After all the upsets…and some predictable losses, it comes down to this–Maria Sharapova will face Agnieszka Radwanska in the finals on Saturday, March 31. This is Sharapova’s second successive final and third final this year. She was runner-up at the Australian Open in January and at Indian Wells two weeks ago. Radwanska will be seeking the ninth and biggest title of her career. Andy Murray will face Novak Djokovic. Murray will be looking for his second win at the Sony Ericsson Open. This final will be Djokovic’s first since winning the Australian Open for his fifth Grand Slam title and third in a row.
So, whether you call it the ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament, the Sony Ericsson Open or the Miami Masters, you know this is great tennis!! The Sony Ericsson Open is an international event with visitors coming from all over the world, so vacation packages are a hot commodity but stadium tickets are still available for this weekend’s play. If you’re unable to go, the live tournament will be broadcast on CBS. The women’s final is on Saturday at 12:30pm, while the men’s will be on Sunday at 1pm.
