The Miami Open is called off

The Miami Open has been canceled, removing the tournament from its planned March place in the sporting calendar. The decision means there will be no 2020 edition at Hard Rock Stadium and no singles champions to add to the event’s record this year.

For a tournament still early in its relationship with the Miami Gardens venue, the interruption prevents another season of routines from taking shape. Spectators, players and organizers had been preparing for an event whose identity combines international competition with a specifically South Florida setting.

The cancellation also changes the meaning of the familiar dates. Instead of draws and match results, attention turns to altered travel plans and the wider disruption affecting sport. It would be premature to describe what the next edition will look like. The clear fact now is that Miami’s annual tennis gathering will not happen this spring, leaving a conspicuous gap in the city’s outdoor event season.