"It's actually worse" "Not a serious tournament ": Fans react to Miami Open director James Blake's response to Casper Ruud blasting event conditions

Tennis fans were left disappointed by Miami Open director James Blake’s response to Casper Ruud calling out the tournament’s below-par conditions.

Ruud had an angry outburst on the court during his second-round match against Luca Van Assche. The former World No. 2 notified the chair umpire about the inadequate towel and water arrangements and called the tournament “cheap.”

Casper Ruud’s accusations did not sit well with Miami Open tournament director James Blake. Addressing the controversy, the former player said:

"I wish it had been handled in a different way," he told the Miami Herald. "The best way is to talk to me. Ddon’t go on the court, and rant and rave about it."

"But I totally understand, being a competitor, he was in the heat of the battle," he added.

Blake blamed Ruud’s demanding encounter against Van Assche for his outburst. He also reportedly explained that there was a possible shortage of towels due to the Miami Open being marred by rain over the weekend.

"We’ve all had a bad day out on the court and said some things," he said about Casper Ruud. "He had just gotten broken, and that’s frustrating time. So, I get it and no hard feelings."

Tennis fans were upset by James Blake’s seemingly dismissive remarks.

"This is not a serious tournament. According to James Blake, there were no towels in changing room (= trailer) because... They were all used to dry up the courts after the rain," one fan said.

"It's actually worse, according to Blake everything is fine and Ruud said that just 'cause he was upset after his serve got broken," another fan wrote.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans on X:

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Apart from Casper Ruud, Coco Gauff, too, critiqued Miami Open 2024

Coco Gauff pictured during her fourth-round match at the 2024 Miami Open

The 2024 Miami Open came to a temporary halt on Friday, March 22, due to a thunderstorm. A few of the scehduled matches were postponed to later that day, while others were pushed to the next day.

Coco Gauff, who was scheduled for day session against Nadia Podoroska on Friday, took the court in the evening, following repeated rain delays. She opened up about the "weird" situation in her post-match press conference.

"It felt like a long wait. I was kind of not sure when to eat. Also the tournament was giving us unrealistic 'not before' times, so that felt a little bit weird," Coco Gauff said.

Despite the circumstances, Coco Gauff weathered the storm to advance to the third round, where she earned an emphatic win over Frenchwoman Oceane Dodin. The American, though, fell to another Frenchwoman, Carolina Garcia, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2.