By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday February 23, 2021
The Miami Open, in an accordance with ATP baseline prize money policy for 2021, has slashed its prize money significantly. It's a trend that has been happening across the tours as the pandemic has forced many tournaments to be held behind closed doors or with a significantly reduced spectator pool.
According to Simon Cambers of Tennis Majors, Miami will offer $300,110 to the winners of the men’s and women’s singles, far less than the $1.354,000 offered to singles champions in 2019.
Cambers reports that total prize money at the Miami Open will drop from $16.7 million in 2019 to $6.68 million ($3.34 million for each of the ATP and WTA events) in 2021.
The tournament aims to host fans to about 20 percent capacity. It is possible that the prize money purse grows, based on the number of fans allowed inside the gates.
AT the moment the Miami Open is expecting to have 750 fans on the grounds per session for this year’s tournament, and spectators will be allowed to watch matches on the showcase court, organizers announced last week.
The showcase matches will be held in the 5,000-seat grandstand, instead of its stadium court, but seating will be limited to 15 percent capacity due to COVID-19 protocols.
In total, the tournament expects to host less than 20,000 spectators in 2021, a far cry from the over 380,000 that passed through the gates when the tournament was last held in 2019.