SEPT 25 - 27, 2026 | LONDON
Sunshine Double Shifts to Miami
The ATP Tour has moved from the California desert to South Florida, with the Miami Open marking the final hard-court stop before the clay season, and a key checkpoint for several players set to headline Laver Cup 2026 in London.
At Indian Wells, Italy’s Jannik Sinner claimed the title, edging Daniil Medvedev in a tight final, with Andre Agassi – the 2001 champion and current Team World Captain – on hand to present the trophy. But beyond the result, the tournament offered a valuable read on the form of several Laver Cup-bound players.
Carlos Alcaraz, confirmed for Team Europe at The O2, continued to set the pace in 2026. The world No.1 reached the semifinals in Indian Wells, defeating Cameron Norrie and Casper Ruud before falling to his Berlin 2024 Laver Cup teammate Medvedev.
Alcaraz now returns to Miami, where he made history in 2022 as the youngest champion ever, lifting the trophy at just 18 years and 332 days. With a first round bye, a sizzling second-round against young Brazilian Joao Fonseca awaits. Holding a 2,150-point lead in the PIF ATP Rankings, Alcaraz has a sharp focus on capturing his third title for the season after a strong start that saw the Spaniard claim the Australian Open and Doha crowns in February.
Fellow Team Europe representative Alexander Zverev also arrives in top form. The German reached the semifinals in Indian Wells for the first time last week, continuing a consistent run across the Masters 1000 level. He became just the fifth player to reach the last four at all nine events in the series, alongside Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray. In Miami, Zverev has previously gone close, finishing runner-up in 2018 to former Team World rival John Isner.
For Team World fans, attention turns to Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur, both confirmed for London and both looking to build momentum on a surface that suits their games.
Fritz, the 2022 Indian Wells champion, has proven his ability to deliver on home soil and will be aiming to translate that success to Miami, where he continues to chase a breakthrough run.
The top-ranked American is also weighing up his schedule beyond Miami as he manages a tendonitis-affected knee.
“We said, after Miami if we’re not seeing big improvements, it might be time to… just slow down a bit and get it healed 100 percent,” said Fritz, a semifinalist at the Hard Rock Stadium in 2025.
“Because if there was a portion of the season I’d be more OK missing, it would be the clay-court swing.”
De Minaur, meanwhile, has developed into one of the tour’s most reliable performers and looms as a dangerous presence in any draw. He will again rely on his trademark speed and resilience in Miami’s humidity and heat. The Australian No.1 made his first-ever fourth round in Miami in 2024 and again reached the same point last year defeating Fonseca in a tight three-set match in front of a raucous pro-Brazilian crowd.
Both may even draw on Andre Agassi’s now-famous “mother privileges” – the Team World Captain’s promise that his players can call him anytime for advice, and the answer will always be yes.
Few players have mastered Miami like Agassi, who won the title six times, a record later matched by Djokovic.
This year’s field again features the game’s leading names, including Alcaraz, Zverev, de Minaur and Fritz, all of whom will reconvene in London from September 25–27 for the ninth edition of the Laver Cup at The O2.
Miami Fun Facts
