Tennis is experiencing a resurgence, with almost 26 million people playing in the U.S. alone. That number has been on an upward trajectory five years in a row. While the sports renewed cultural relevance can be attributed to multiple factors, brands across fashion, entertainment, and even sports leagues like Major League Baseball are capitalizing on the trend through unconventional opportunities.
On December 8, LoanDepot Park, home of baseballs Miami Marlins, will undergo a temporary redesign to host the Unified Events Miami Invitational, a one-night, first-of-its-kind exhibition featuring top tennis stars Carlos Alcaraz, Joo Fonseca, Amanda Anisimova, and Jessica Pegula in a city with a strong appetite for elite tennis.
Brazilian tennis player Joo Fonseca [Photo: Courtesy of Miami Marlins]
While they have the Miami Open, there is such a fervor for tennis in the Miami market, especially for those players, says Molly Pendleton, SVP of MLS, Touring, and Unified Events.
To tap into the markets enthusiasm, Pendleton and her team originally planned to host the event in a traditional arena, a common choice for these exhibition matches. However, due to scheduling conflicts and the time needed to set up the courts, Unified Events decided not to take that route. Since both United Events and the Marlins work with sports and culture company IMG, the partners explored creative ways to bring tennis to a baseball stadium. They selected LoanDepot Park because it offered optimal sigh tlines and a high-quality fan experience.
I was skeptical until I saw the renderings of what it could look like and what the fan experience would be, says Pendleton. [I] got on board with the idea [that] this could be a really unique experience for fans and the players.
Anthony Favata, Vice President of Operations & Events for the Marlins, and his team created CAD renderings to visualize the transformation, which sealed the deal.
We have an extremely versatile building, says Favata. Tennis was always on the road map.
A Stadium Built for Adaptation
[Photo: Courtesy of Miami Marlins]
Historically, LoanDepot Park, formerly known as Marlins Park, was built to accommodate a variety of events. After opening in 2012, it hosted an international soccer game, and over the years, expanded to other entertainment, including concerts. Now, with recent investments in its infrastructure, the organization is reimagining the stadiums design to expand its non-baseball slate.
For the Marlins operations team, months of site visits, engineering assessments, and software modeling informed how they will compress the stadiums 130,000-square-foot footprint with 37,442 seats into an 8,700-square-foot environment with 12,000 seats for a quality viewing experience.
Its very important that you have that intimacy and the premium feel of being as close to the court as you can get, Favata explained. One thing that [was] created for us is the need to remove the pitchers mound.
Design Challenges and Transformations
Unlike a tennis court, the typical dimensions of a baseball field is not rectangular but rather a snow-coned shape. To achieve the level of intimacy spectators want during a tennis match, the Marlins will place the court in front of home plate. Based on their CAD visualization, the team decided that the court will run diagonally from first base to third base.
[Photo: Courtesy of Miami Marlins]
One of the most complex design challenges in creating an intimate environment is the full removal of the pitchers mound, an undertaking requiring roughly eight hours by a dedicated five-person crew.
We’ll remove [the] clay, and we’ll make sure it’s flat so that our flooring can come on top of that mound and then we can come on top of it with the cork, explains Favata. This step ensures the installed court sits at the ideal distance from spectator seats so fans have up close and clear views of play.
Previously, LoanDepot Park featured a natural grass field. However, the stadium later transitioned to a turf surface. Leveraging the stadiums in-house flooring system has proven beneficial, allowing adaptability of its turf surface for various events. A team of up to 20 people will lay down a thick, plastic event decking or protective flooring called Terraplas directly on top of the clay comprising the pitchers mound. To further avoid impacting the clay underneath, the team will place a cork-rubber blend called Regupol Aktiv atop the Terraplas, followed by another layer of wood. Finally, additional workers will lay down the professional hard court, which will be transported overnight from the Charlotte Invitational happening just before the exhibition match in Miami.
[Photo: Courtesy of Miami Marlins]
The Marlins operations team will get a head start on the mound removal for another event occurring two days prior to the match. However, the majority of the conversion will happen overnight, involving about 37 people across multiple vendors working from roughly 10 p.m. on December 7 into the morning hours of December 8.
Enhancing the intimacy created by removing the pitchers mound will be the addition of roughly 600 temporary seats. The team will also recline the foul ball netting. While the main event will occur infield, the Marlins plan to restrict access to the outfield.
As Favatas team reconfigures the field into a tennis court, ensuring player safety is critical.
Although it’s an exhibition, we want to make sure that the court is at the highest level of play, Favata said. Some of the best in the world are going to be performing. We want to make sure it’s safe for them.
Creating a Premium Tennis Environment
Beyond the technical build, the team will deliver a complete tennis environment with premium courtside seating, hospitality, and signature cocktails (Miami Ace and Sunset Invitational) inspired by the U.S. Opens Honey Deuce. Partner brand activations include Segafredos specialty desserts and coffee, Geicos tennis bracelet activation, and Penguin Tennis Apparels pop-up retail shop to create an immersive experience.
[Photo: Courtesy of Miami Marlins]
Depending on its success, Unified Events anticipates this invitational being an annual event in Miami. Its already nearing capacity with about 9,500 seats sold, with tickets starting at $40.
In the meantime, the Miami Marlins are preparing for other events in the new year, like the Winter Classic in partnership with the National Hockey League.
We’re very much involved in trying to continue to put this venue at the forefront of the concert and live entertainment business [with] some of those sports that you don’t typically consider in a baseball diamond that are cool, that are splashy, that are global, Favata said. [We want to] draw an attendee base to the facility that may not already be familiar with the venue in hopes that we give them a great experience and they return for Marlins baseball.
