2019 Miami Open Men’s Singles Main Draw Announced
By Tucker Verdi
Novak Djokovic is the No. 1 seed for the fifth time at the Miami Open in the men’s singles main draw, which was just announced in front of the brand new Grandstand at Hard Rock Stadium. This is good news for the 31-year-old Serbian, as he won the title three of the four previous times he was the top seed.
Djokovic will be chasing history at the 2019 open, as a win this year would give him a seventh Miami Open singles title — breaking his current tie for most singles championships with Andre Agassi
John Isner, the reigning Miami Open champ, was drawn into Djokovic’s quarter as the 7th seed, meaning he will likely have to go through the 15-time Grand Slam champion to have a chance at claiming his second straight Miami Open crown.
Djokovic and Isner are joined in their quarter by the hard-hitting Milos Raonic (No. 12), the feisty Fabio Fognini (No. 15), and British No. 1 Kyle Edmund, who is seeded 19th.
Joining him in the top half is Dominic Thiem (No. 3), fresh off a thrilling run to his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells. Thiem — often regarded as a superior clay court player, matches his highest ever Masters 1000 seeding. He was also a 3rd seed at the 2017 Rogers Cup and Cincinnati Masters.
Thiem has Kei Nishikori (No. 5), Gael Monfils (No. 16), and Nick Kyrgios (No. 27) potentially looming in his quarter if he wants to become the sixth man to claim Indian Wells and the Miami Open back-to-back, following Djokovic, Andre Agassi, Marcelo Rios, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer.
Federer, the winner of 20 Grand Slams and three Miami Open singles titles, is seeded 4th. He, along with last year’s finalist at the Miami Open Alexander Zverev at No. 2, headline the bottom half of the men’s draw. The 36-year-old Swiss champion could face compatriot and good friend Stan Wawrinka (No. 30) in the third round. The three-time Slam winner Wawrinka receives his first tournament seed since the 2018 French Open.
Zverev’s quarter is packed with young talent, as NextGen stars Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 8), Denis Shapovalov (No. 20), and American Frances Tiafoe (No. 28) will likely stand in the 21-year-old German’s way of a return trip to the final.
First round action gets underway on Wednesday, and there are several noteworthy matches among the unseeded players.
In what is his final year on tour, David Ferrer — a Miami Open singles finalist in 2013, will take on American veteran Sam Querrey in the first round. The 36-year-old Spaniard has collected 27 career titles and been ranked as high as 3rd over the course of his 20-year career. A tour favorite among players and fans, Ferrer reached the final of the French Open in 2013 and took home his biggest title at the 2012 Paris Masters.
2010 Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych will face Aussie Bernard Tomic in the opening round for the right to play top-ranked Djokovic in the second round. The 33-year-old Czech has reached at least the semis of every Grand Slam and is one of only three players to have Grand Slam wins against the Big Four — the others being Wawrinka and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Several young players, including Taylor Fritz, Chung Hyeon, and Cameron Norrie will being play in the first round. They will take on Max Marterer, Jordan Thompson, and Taro Daniel, respectively.
You can find the complete draw here, and purchase your tickets here!
