Review: The 2025 Miami Open Was a Win for More Than Just Sabalenka, Menšík

Aryna Sabalenka and Jakub Menšík walked away with the trophies, but they weren’t the only winners at the 2025 Miami Open.

Held March 16 through 30 under the sun-kissed sprawl of Hard Rock Stadium, the 40th edition of this tennis spectacle was a high-octane celebration of athleticism, culture, and Miami swagger to the max. In the end, the world’s No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka finally added a Miami Open title to her ever-expanding trophy case, dispatching Buffalo Bills heiress and American crowd favorite Jessica Pegula in a power-packed final. And Jakub Menšík, ranked 54th in the world entering the tournament, stunned the tennis world by defeating his idol Novak Djokovic — who was aiming for his 100th career title. This marked Menšík’s first-ever ATP title and cemented his breakout moment in front of a global audience.

But that’s just where the story begins.

Enter Joao Fonseca, Brazil’s teenage phenom who turned Stadium Court into the Rio Carnival every time he stepped on it. Fans draped in green and yellow erupted for the youngster as he played like a man possessed. On the women’s side, Filipina firecracker Alexandra Eala lit up the draw, blazing her way to the semifinals with a blend of guts and grace rarely seen in any Miami Open. Filipino fans showed up and showed out, turning the event into an international lovefest.

Hard Rock Stadium doubled as a playground for the tennis-curious and the tennis-obsessed. Foodies flocked to the ultra-chic pop-up by Zuma, where sashimi and sake met serves and smashes. A totally new padel experience debuted with the Publix Padel Cup and a glass-walled court that dared fans to test their hand-eye coordination — most of them quickly realized padel is harder than it looks (but a hell of a lot of fun).

Practice courts proved to be their own main event. At one electric moment, Coco Gauff, Frances Tiafoe, Djokovic, and his coach Andy Murray all fired balls in a glorious choreography of tennis brilliance. Oh, and if you saw Jon Bon Jovi hitting balls with Djokovic? That wasn’t a fever dream. That really happened.

Off the court, Lot 11 Skatepark turned into a cultural melting pot as Boiler Room and On served up stylish serves, sounds, and smashes with appearances by Ben Shelton and Fonseca, with performances from Shenseea and Cromo X.

Hospitality maestro David Grutman played social DJ all tournament long, with one particularly A-list moment happening when a DraftKings bash at Gekko lured Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Grigor Dimitrov, Sabalenka, and Matteo Berrettini, among others.

If you weren’t on the guest list there or at any Miami Open-related affair, perhaps you were outside rubbernecking at the Blacklane rides shuttling folks across town and into curated experiences that would make Art Basel blush.

Yes, Sabalenka and Menšík won titles. But, in their very own ways, so did Fonseca, so did Eala, so did the fans who high-fived their heroes at practice courts...and the kids who whacked their first padel shots in the middle of a tennis mecca.

Forty years on, the Miami Open has never felt more electric — or more Miami. And if this year was any indication, the next 40 are going to be one wild, stylish, cross-cultural ride. Game. Set. Magic City.