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Grigor Dimitrov, Casper Ruud, Jessica Pegula, and other tennis stars recently joined hands to serve the local community ahead of their 2024 Miami Open campaign. These athletes volunteered at the 'Humane Society of Greater Miami' as part of the annual Miami Open Unites campaign.
The venue was a local shelter, where the players helped groom abandoned dogs. Grooming is a crucial aspect of preparing dogs for adoption, as it increases their chances of finding a permanent home.
The official ATP and WTA social media accounts shared clips and pictures of the players participating in the Miami Open Unites initiative. The videos featured players like Alex de Minaur, his girlfriend and WTA player Katie Boulter, and Zheng Qinwen.
All these players recently participated in the 2024 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. 13th seed Dimitrov and 10th seed de Minaur lost in the Round of 16 against eventual runner-up Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, respectively. Ruud, meanwhile, made it to the quarterfinals, where he lost to 17th seed Tommy Paul 6-2, 1-6, 6-3.
On the women's side, fifth seed Pegula and 2024 Australian Open runner-up Qinwen lost in the second round to Anna Blinkova and Yuan Yue, respectively. Boutler, on the other hand, faced an opening round exit against Italian Camila Giorgi 6-3, 6-2.
A look into the players' performance at the Miami Open over the years
Grigor Dimitrov has been participating in the Miami Open since 2011. Dimitrov reached the fourth round of the tournament in 2012 and 2016, where he lost to Janko Tipsarevic and Gael Monfils, respectively. This year, the Bulgarian is seeded 11th. He has received a bye in the first round and will face either Alejandro Tabilo or a qualifier in the second.
Casper Ruud's best performance at the tournament came in 2022 when he reached the finals, eventually losing to 2023 Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz 5-7, 4-6. This year, the Norwegian is seeded seventh and has received a bye in the first round. He will face either Pavel Kotov or Luca Van Assche in the second.
Alex de Minaur recorded his best performance at the tournament in 2022, where he lost in the third round to Stefanos Tsitsipas 4-6, 3-6. This year, the Aussie is seeded ninth and has received a bye in the first round. He will face either Alexandre Muller or Kwon Soonwoo in the second.
Katie Boulter's best result came in 2021 when she reached the second round, before losing to Belgium's Elise Mertens 4-6, 1-6. The Brit, seeded 24th this year, has received a bye in the first round and will face either Maria Lourdes Carle or Brenda Fruhvirtova in the second.
Jessica Pegula reached the semifinals in 2022 and 2023, where she lost to Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina, respectively. The American is seeded fifth this year and has received a bye in the first round. She will face either Marie Bouzkova or Zhu Lin in the second.
Zheng Qinwen reached the fourth round last year, where she lost to Anastasia Potapova 4-6, 6-7(4). Zheng is seeded seventh this time and has received a bye in the first round. She will either face Ana Bogdan or Katerina Siniakova in the second.
