In tennis news, Serena Williams has broken ground at the construction site for the future Miami Open venue, one day before she begins her campaign in the tennis tournament. The new venue will be at the Hard Rock Stadium which is home to the NFL team, the Miami Dolphins. When the construction is complete, it will host the Miami Open from 2019 onwards, and the site holds a special place in the heart of the 23-time Grand Slam winner as it is a short drive away from her hometown.

After attending the tournament as youngster, the 36-year-old Serena considers it her hometown event. Since 1987, the Miami Open has been held in Key Biscayne, Florida, but failure to get permission on a proposed expansion in 2015 prompted organizers to look for a new site. The new 13,800 capacity court location at the home of the Dolphins means the tournament will stay in Florida following speculation it could go to South America or even China. Williams, an eight-time champion, takes on Indian Wells winner Naomi Osaka of Japan in the first round later today and plans to be part of making future Miami Opens a success with her role off the court.