Sony Open in Miami could be shifted to India or China

The Sony Open venue at Crandon Park in Miami

It was once touted as the ‘fifth Grand Slam’ for its prestige and the number of top players participating in it. But the Sony Open in Miami is going through a rough patch these days and there is a real danger of it being sold to investors in China, Arabia or India, according to this source.

IMG, which owns the tournament, is reportedly considering the move after its plans for an expansion and renewal of the tournament site at Crandon Park failed to receive approval from the land’s owners.

Plans for the renewal of the Sony Open site have been in the pipeline for quite some time now and the pressure to do so has only grown in recent times with the neighbouring BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells bringing dramatic improvements to the tournament since the coming on board of millionaire Larry Ellison in 2009.

Despite numerous attempts, however, the Sony Open hasn’t been able to match its Californian rival. There were talks about a possible 50 million dollar investment from Miami Herald, but that was called off since the dispute with the land owners still hadn’t been resolved. In 2012, a plan had been approved to rebuild with a budget of 30 million dollars. However, Mr. Bruce Matheson, whose family had previously offered a concession to the tournament organizers to raise the structure on their land, rejected the plan.

The plans to reconstruct the Grandstand, the club’s renovation, the addition of new hospitality areas, the extension of the shopping area and the improvement of the drainage system were all objected to by Mr. Matheson.

“What we really want to create is a tennis centre in a park and not just a series of tennis courts into a parking lot,” said Adam Barrett, director of the Sony Open. “Unfortunately though Bruce is someone who likes obstructionism. Whatever proposal is presented, he rejects it!”, he added.

Barrett asserted that the tournament’s committee wouldn’t be happy to sell the event or move elsewhere, but that they would be left with no other option if the deadlock continued. “We want to stay in Florida, but we are not interested in directing a secondary tournament. The chance of moving to China, Arabia or India is one of great interest for our corporation” said the Sony open director.

Butch Buccholz, the man who has overseen the growth of the tournament from scratch to one of the most important events in the tennis calendar, also acknowledged the need for a makeover.

“The tournament desperately needs a renewal plan. At the moment, Miami is sorely losing the confrontation with Indian Wells,” Buccholz said.