The Sony Ericsson Open: A Tennis Tournament Like No Other

The Sony Ericsson ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Miami is not just any tournament.  It is an IMG tournament.  

For those unaware of the power of IMG within tennis, this management and communications company deals with numerous tennis stars and tournaments, international broadcasting rights, advertising and sponsorship, and ticket sales as well as individual player management.

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Jelena Jankovic, Maria Sharapova, James Blake—the number of tennis stars with IMG backing are too numerous to mention.  

The organization's showpiece is this $4.5 million tournament in Key Biscayne, at the Tennis Center in Crandon Park.  According to IMG, the Open is the largest tennis event in the world with a title sponsor and has players vying for $9 million in prize money.

IMG creates and manages this entire tournament, from the marketing to the broadcasting.  This means that for two weeks in March and April, the tennis media circus hits full force on an island off the Miami coast.  

Of course, for the Sony Ericsson tournament, this often brings benefits for the numerous spectators who visit the so-called 'fifth major'.  

For the first few days, tennis fans typically ignore Stadium Court and instead choose to spend the breezy afternoon pressed against the fences of the outer courts. That is where stars such as Federer and Nadal smash balls around with their practice partners and coaches. 

Most of the media events take place in the first few days of the tournament, when many of the top-ranked players prepare for their upcoming first-round matches and by holding news conferences and participating in various fan- and media-friendly activities. 

Venus Williams and Andy Murray played a type of so-called street tennis on Ocean Drive while perched on two cars on Monday.  The 'stop traffic' photo-op proved to be a perfect occasion for the tournament to illustrate its mixed-gender format, following the trend from Indian Wells the previous week.  

Said Williams on her exploits, "This has to be the craziest place I’ve ever played tennis definitely—on top of a car!  Promotions like this are excellent for tennis. I think it’s great to have sponsors like Sony Ericsson who really make things happen like this; everyone sees tennis and everyone feels like they’re part of something special."

Equally, Nadal and Ana Ivanovic took to the golf course at Crandon Park Golf Club on Tuesday as a way to 'take time out from preparations'.  Yet another photo-op, of course.  

Many other players, including Federer and Maria Sharapova, take part in organized autograph sessions in the merchandising tents, giving plenty of fans the opportunity to get up close and personal (for a few seconds) with their tennis idols. 

Meanwhile, under the main stadium, press conferences continue to be occupied by the many questions from media representatives. 

Serena Williams talked to the press wearing a purple dress, giant sparkly earrings and armloads of bangles. She was launching a new jewelry and handbag line, proudly declaring "I'm not just a tennis player.''

Nadal and Federer add to the lineup of pre-tournament press conferences.   The latter addressed the state of his game and his relationship with Nadal and Murray, his love of South Florida (he sheepishly admitted he used to stay on South Beach, but it got "too distracting''), and fatherhood.

Finally, the piece de resistance—the player 'kick-off' party, hosted at the LIV club at the Fontainebleu Hotel.  The likes of James Blake, Sharapova, Serena and Venus Williams, Nadal and Novak Djokovic attempt to relax at this sponsor-strewn event before they take to the court over the next few days.  

Let's hope the on-court activities are as good as those off the court.