MIAMI — Tennis fans could not have predicted was what in store for last year’s Miami Open champions Danielle Collins and Jannik Sinner when they each posed for photos with their crystal trophies and accepted $1.1 million winners’ checks on center court at Hard Rock Stadium.

Collins, the St. Petersburg native, was the 53rd-ranked player in the world at that time and had just become the lowest-ranked woman ever to win the Miami Open as her trusty dog Mr. Q looked on. The 30-year-old planned to retire at the end of the season, start a family, pursue other interests (she is a University of Virginia grad) and play more golf.

Instead, she went on a 15-match win streak, ditched the retirement plans and finished the 2024 season ranked No. 11, the highest season-ending ranking of her career. She will be back to defend her title at the Miami Open, which kicks off Sunday with qualifying rounds. The main draw runs from Tuesday through Mar. 30.

Meanwhile, Sinner will not be back this year, as the top-ranked Italian is banned from the ATP Tour until May 4 for failed drug tests.

The redhead with the carrot-costumed fans captivated the Miami Open last year with his win over Grigor Dmitrov in the final and his interesting background. Once a promising ski racer, he grew up in the German-speaking part of the Italian Alps. His parents worked at a ski lodge where his father, Johann, was a chef and his mother, Siglinde, was a waitress.

Sinner is the highest-ranked Italian men’s player in history and first Italian man to win a Grand Slam singles title in nearly a half century.

The Miami Open will go on without him this spring in the second leg of the Sunshine Double, following the hardcourt tournament at Indian Wells, Calif., which ended Sunday.

World No. 2 Alexander Zverev will replace Sinner as the top seed, and 2022 Miami Open winner Carlos Alcaraz will be seeded second. Novak Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion and six-time winner in Miami, is expected to compete in the tournament for the first time since 2019 with his former rival, retired Andy Murray, as a member of his coaching staff.

On the women’s side, Collins is among four former winners in the field, along with Iga Swiatek (2022), three-time winner Victoria Azarenka and former world No. 2 Petra Kvitova, who won the Miami Open title two years ago and is entered as a wild card in her return from maternity leave. She gave birth to son Petr last July and will play the third event of her comeback after opening losses in Austin and Indian Wells.

The entire WTA top 10 is entered, led by No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 2 Swiatek, and No. 3 Coco Gauff, the 21-year-old American who spent much of her youth in Delray Beach.

Other American women include No. 5 Jessica Pegula and 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys, who is ranked No. 6. Four American men in the top 20 are entered: No. 4 Taylor Fritz, No. 9 Tommy Paul, No. 13 Ben Shelton and No. 18 Frances Tiafoe.

The entry list for the Miami Open, which is being held March 16-30, includes 15 Grand Slam tournament champions.

Djokovic withdrew from last year’s Miami Open on the eve of the tournament. This year, he is expected to have a familiar face at his practices and in his box, as he recently hired Murray to join his coaching staff.

Murray worked with Djokovic at this year’s Australian Open and the 37-year-old Serbian reached the semifinal before being forced to retire against Zverev due an injury.

“I expressed my desire to continue the collaboration with him, so I am really glad he did accept,” Djokovic said of Murray at the Qatar Open last month. “It’s indefinite in terms of how long we are going to work together but we agreed we are going to work most likely in the States and then some clay-court tournaments and see how it goes after that.”

Murray retired from the tour last summer.

Four past men’s winners are in the field, led by Alcaraz, Djokovic, No. 6 Daniil Medvedev (2023) and No. 20 Hubert Hurkacz (2021).

Among the former women’s finalists in the field are No. 7 Rybakina, who has been runner-up the past two years, Naomi Osaka and Jelena Ostapenko.

The players entered represent 37 countries and include every eligible man in the top 77 of the ATP rankings and woman in the top 72 of the WTA rankings. In addition, the following players have entered with an injury protected ranking: Jenson Brooksby, Nick Kyrgios, Reilly Opelka, Sorana Cirstea, Lauren Davis and Caty McNally.

The Miami Open Wheelchair Invitational will be held during the second week while Padel will make its debut with the Publix Padel Cup in association with RedPADEL.

Fans will have an array of options off the court, as well, with more than 40 restaurants and bars on the tournament grounds. New are popular eateries such as Fabel and Miami Slice along with returning favorites such as Kiki on the River and OMAKAI. The official cocktail of the tournament, the Ace Paloma, will also be available at the Dobel Tequila Club in Palm Court and at locations throughout the campus.

The tournament will be broadcast on the Tennis Channel. For schedule and ticket information, check miamiopen.com

MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAU

— When: March 16-30

— Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens

— Singles Main Draw Size: 96 players (including 12 qualifiers and 8 wild cards, with first-round byes for the 32 seeded players). Doubles Main Draw Size: 32 teams

— Prize Money: Singles winners earn $1.12 million. Finalists earn $597,890

— Defending Champions: Danielle Collins (women’s singles), Jannik Sinner (men’s singles), Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin (women’s doubles), Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden (men’s doubles)

— Surface: Hardcourt

— TV: Tennis Channel

Special Events:

— March 19: Brazilian Heritage Day presented by Itaú– Enjoy Brazilian performances along with authentic coffee specials and refreshing Caipirinhas.

— March 20: Hispanic Heritage Day presented by PNC Bank– Hispanic performances with mariachi and Latin-style drummers, delicious offerings from Hispanic food partners on campus and sip on a curated cocktails at select bars.

— March 24: Women’s Empowerment Day presented by Gillette Venus– Explore pop-ups from female-owned businesses across campus. And at 5:30 p.m., stop by the women’s empowerment panel featuring moderator Jessica Robertson, co-founder and chief content officer at TOGETHXR, along with panelists Martina Navratilova, 18-time Grand Slam singles champion, internet personality Morgan Riddle and Jenny Nguyen, founder and owner of The Sports Bra.

— March 25: Out at the Open– Celebrate LGBTQ+ pride with vibrant performances and special giveaways throughout the day.

— March 27: College Night presented by DoorDash– College students can enjoy dynamic performances from local college DJs, interact with college mascots and experience the exclusive DashPass Lounge presented by DoorDash.

— March 29: Kids Day – Celebrate Kids Day with fun activities for the whole family like face painting, airbrush tattoos, giveaways and live entertainment.

Tickets: miamiopen.com

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