Miami Open 2024: Does the Hard Rock Stadium Have a Retractable Roof?

Tennis players as well as fans are continuously looking at the Miami sky, hoping for the clouds to vanish. Today was marked as the second consecutive day of facing a delay in the match schedule at the Miami Open. While the major reason for the delay turned out to be heavy rain showers that fully drenched the courts at the Hard Rock Stadium, each fan currently stands with one common question in mind: Why isn’t the arena equipped with a retractable roof?

While the Miami Dolphins enjoy the balmy weather of the city, fans might wonder why their home stadium, the Hard Rock Stadium, does not have a retractable roof despite being equipped with all other state-of-the-art facilities. Unlike baseball stadiums in the city like the Marlins’ stadium, the Hard Rock Stadium doesn’t have a permanent or retractable roof because of multiple reasons.

One of the main reasons for it is that the retractable roofs are super pricey. Looking at teams like the Arizona Cardinals, they decided that it was cheaper to slide the field in and out of the stadium instead of building a retractable roof. Even the Dallas Cowboys, which stands to be the richest team in the NFL, hesitated at the thought of building a cover.

Besides that, some teams in harsh climates actually prefer open stadiums. The belief that it gives them an advantage over opponents, especially if they’re accustomed to playing in extreme weather conditions, also stands to be a major reason for not building a roof.

Therefore, while fans might look at the occasional aspect of rain delays, the lack of a retractable roof at Hard Rock Stadium isn’t just about preference but also a matter of practicality and cost-effectiveness helping the teams look at the bigger picture.

Play resumes after a long delay at the Miami Open

After testing the patience of fans for almost three long hours, it seems like the clouds have finally decided to show mercy on the Miami Open. While the process of drying the court was almost completed, Jessica Pegula held her side of the court for a showdown against Lin Zhu.

Along with that, Taylor Fritz is also gearing up to enter the court for his scheduled matchup against Thiago Seyboth Wild. As the fans finally witness progress in today’s match schedule, it still remains to be seen if the matches continue without any further interruptions.

ALSO READ: Miami Open 2024: Does the Tournament Have a Rain Policy to Issue Refund to Fans?