The dream of an international tennis tournament in Miami began in the 1960s, when top tennis players such as Jack Kramer, Frank Sedgman, Pancho Gonzalez, Pancho Segura and Butch Buchholz toured the country in a station wagon, playing tennis in darkened arenas and fairgrounds. It was before the days of Open tennis, and they traveled with a portable canvas court and plenty of hopes. Buchholz - an original member of the “Handsome Eight” (the first recognized pros of Lamar Hunt’s World Championship Tennis Circuit introduced in 1968) - competed until he was forced to retire from tennis in 1970 with chronic tennis elbow.

In 1980, when Buchholz was executive director of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) - the player’s union - he met a vice president of the Thomas J. Lipton Company who liked his idea of creating a two-week players tournament. A sponsorship agreement would eventually be reached for $1.5 million a year for five years and Lipton would own the title.

The “Winter Wimbledon,” as it was first dubbed, would be the first major tournament of the year (the Australian Open was then held in December). It was decided that the first tournament would be held at Laver’s International Tennis Resort in Delray Beach, 50 miles north of Miami.

Buchholz was thinking first class all the way and brought in Alan Mills, tournament referee at Wimbledon, as head referee, and Ted Tinling, a well-known tennis fashion designer since the 1920s, as director of protocol.

He then approached the ATP and Women’s International Tennis Association and offered prize money, a percentage of the ticket sales and worldwide television rights. In return he wanted the rights to run the tournament for 15 years. The associations agreed, but Buchholz remembers that he had his detractors in the beginning.

“The tours and some of the top players were skeptical,” Buchholz said. “Even [tennis writer/TV analyst] Bud Collins said at the time we didn’t need another combined event. At one point, I was sure if we didn’t have a signed contract the tour would have altered this event and we would not have the same event we have today.”

On Feb. 4, 1985, following 20 years of nurturing a dream to create a world-class tennis tournament, the first ball was struck at the International Players Championships and a new tradition in tennis began. Manuela Maleeva won the first point en route to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Angeliki Kanellopula.

The first tournament turned out 84 of the top 100 men and 97 of the top 100 women. ESPN telecast the first weekend and the men’s semifinals, and ABC telecast the finals live. Networks from Australia, England, France, Italy, Japan, Sweden and West Germany also were present.

The first champions were Tim Mayotte and Martina Navratilova. The women’s final between Navratilova and Chris Evert was a sellout. Only Wimbledon and the U.S. Open exceeded the $1.8 million in prize money. But Laver’s was in financial trouble, so Buchholz moved the 1986 tournament to Boca West, an Arvida property in Boca Raton. This tournament hosted 43 of the top 50 men and 46 of the top 50 women. A tradition of excellent tennis had been established. But then Arvida sold Boca West, and Buchholz was again searching for a home for his event. It was after that successful second year that then-Dade County Manager and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour  Executive Director Merrett Stierheim helped pave the way for a move to Miami.

Stierheim showed Buchholz locations at Flamingo Park, Tropical Park and Amelia Earhart Park, before Buchholz crossed the Rickenbacker Causeway and fell in love with the property that would become the Tennis Center at Crandon Park, a Miami-Dade County Park that borders Key Biscayne.

“You go over that bridge, and it’s like leaving a city and entering tropical paradise,” Buchholz said. ‘It had that postcard feeling I was hoping for, and then I saw those 5,000 parking spots [by the beach], and I thought, ‘This is it.’ “

First, a $1 million, 10,000 square-foot clubhouse was built at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in 1989 with plans for a permanent stadium to follow. But there were obstacles. After a favorable court ruling involving the use of the land in July,  1992 cleared the way to begin construction, the bulldozers started humming in hopes of getting the stadium ready for the 1993 tournament.

“I want you to know we’ve got nine lives,” Buchholz said back then. “By this time next year the stadium will be up. I don’t have any lives left.”

On Feb. 13, 1994, as the tournament was celebrating its 10th event, Miami-Dade County dedicated the $20 million permanent stadium to the citizens of Miami-Dade County. The stadium also served as home to the USTA Player Development Program. Less than a month later, on March 11, 1994, Karin Kschwendt defeated Kathy Rinaldi-Stunkel, 6-3, 6-4 in the first match on Stadium Court.

“When we got the stadium built, and players like Steffi Graf, Pete Sampras, Gabriela Sabatini, Jim Courier and Andre Agassi started saying it was one of the best center courts in the world, it changed the players minds, and the minds of the tours.” Buchholz said, “They got behind us and we went on from there. We went from being a public wart to the tours feeling they should have more events like this one.”

Now a 12-day event annually showcasing one of the deepest fields of the year, the Sony Ericsson Open has reached the next echelon in presenting an international sports extravaganza. With $6.9 million in prize money, equally distributed to the men and women, and all of the top players and media from all corners of the world covering the action every day, the Sony Ericsson Open has earned its place in the world as the fifth largest tennis tournament, surpassed only by the Grand Slams.

In 2006, the tournament was televised in the United States on CBS and ESPN2, as well as by ESPN International and many other terrestrial broadcast partners. Each year, television coverage reaches more than 200 countries, radio coverage is broadcast in more than 44 languages, and print media reports are followed by millions and millions of tennis enthusiasts worldwide.

1983: Buchholz announces at the French Open that plans are proceeding for a major two-week event for men and women players.

1984: Dates and site are set for the first International Players Championships. Prize money: $1.8 million. Tournament to be held in Delray Beach, Florida. Title sponsor: Thomas J. Lipton Company. Initial partners are the two players’ organizations, Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women’s International Tennis Association (WITA).

1985: Field at Laver’s International Tennis Resort includes 128 men and women in singles, 64 doubles teams for men and women, and mixed doubles. Tournament format is the same as the four Grand Slams. It is the first time in 56 years that a new, two-week tournament is launched. Martina Navratilova and Tim Mayotte capture singles titles before ABC-TV cameras. Navratilova-Evert women’s final is first sellout. Attendance for two weeks: 125,817, exceeding any golf or tennis event ever held in Florida.

1986: Site is Boca West Resort and Club in Boca Raton, Florida. Ivan Lendl defeats Mats Wilander for men’s title, while Evert captures women’s title vs. newcomer Steffi Graf. Attendance reaches 193,046, an increase of 65%.

1987: Search ends for a permanent home as the tournament arrives in Miami. Metro-Dade County Commissioners plan to build a stadium at Crandon Park. Graf defeats Evert for women’s title, while Miloslav Mecir upsets Lendl in men’s final. Television reaches 31 nations.

1988: En route to No. 1 world ranking later that year, Mats Wilander defeats Jimmy Connors. Graf becomes first woman to win two of the tournament’s titles, beating Gabriela Sabatini.

1989: A new $1 million clubhouse is dedicated by Metro Dade March 12. Ivan Lendl wins his second tournament and is first man with two titles. Part-time Key Biscayne-resident Gabriela Sabatini is women’s winner. Attendance reaches record 226,653.

1990: New 10-day format with 96 men and 96 women in singles, features two weekends of play. Only event in pro tennis with this unique format. Andre Agassi, 19, and Monica Seles, just 16, become the youngest of the tournament’s champions. On Nov. 6, Metro Dade Commissioners approve new contract for permanent stadium in Miami.

1991: Ground passes sold for first time with record crowds at 15 of 18 sessions. All-time attendance mark of 15,107 for the day session on March 17. Seles joins Graf as two-time women’s winner. Jim Courier climbs into top 10 for the first time by defeating unseeded David Wheaton in the final. In October, USTA announces Tennis Center at Crandon Park will be home for its new National Junior Player Development Center. U.S. teams to train here. In November, construction contract for new stadium is awarded to James A. Cummings, Inc. of Fort Lauderdale.

1992: The men’s and women’s final sell out in February - earliest pre-tournament sellout. The Initial USTA training camp is held at Crandon Park, campers include nine-year old Andy Roddick. During the event, Thomas J. Lipton Company announces it will extend title sponsorship. Michael Chang becomes third straight U.S. winner, while Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario upsets Seles to win the title. Record attendance for 10 days reaches 204,643, with an average of more than 20,000 per day. In April, construction begins on permanent stadium. The construction is halted in mid-May by court order. By late summer, Appeal Court says stadium construction can go on. On Aug. 24, 1992, Miami is slammed by Hurricane Andrew, which causes $16 billion in damage to South Florida. In October, the tournament is renamed the Lipton Championships. On Nov. 24, it is announced that construction will resume Dec. 1 but stop for the 1993 event.

1993: The ninth tournament survives worst weather in history, which includes The Storm of the Century. Four sessions are cancelled as the storm wreaks havoc on the site. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and Pete Sampras emerge as winners. Sampras is fourth straight U.S. man to win title and two weeks later ascends to No. 1 in the world for the first time. Sanchez-Vicario becomes third woman with two titles by upsetting Graf. TV goes to 66 nations.

1994: On Feb. 13, Miami-Dade County dedicates new permanent 14,000-seat stadium to citizens of Dade County. On March 11, the stadium is christened with a match between Karin Kschwendt and Kathy Rinaldi-Stunkel. On March 20, during a third round match between Andre Agassi and Boris Becker, Becker creates a stir among the fans when he hands his racquet to a ballgirl, Stephanie Flagherty. She won the point but Agassi eventually defeats Becker, 6-2, 7-5.

1995: Steffi Graf wins second consecutive title for the second time. She becomes the tournament’s winningest player and the first player to win four titles: 1987, 1988, 1994, and 1995. On Sept. 7, the tournament announces it will be played over 11 days, the only 11-day event on the ATP Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. On Dec. 6, the tournament announces that men’s final will go back to best-of-five sets.

1996: Steffi Graf breaks her own record by taking a third consecutive title and fifth overall singles championship when she defeats Chanda Rubin, 6-1, 6-3, in the women’s final. She also won a doubles championship in 1988 with Gabriela Sabatini. The tournament breaks all attendance records with a total of 234,755 spectators attending the tournament. 15,501 fans pass through the gates the first Sunday day session (March 24), breaking the all-time single session record. A record six sessions were sold out. In December, the Tennis Center in Crandon Park is awarded top honors in two design excellence award competitions. The awards were issued by the U.S. Tennis Court and Track Builders Association for Outstanding Tennis Court and/or Tennis Facility and Athletic Business Magazine for Facility of Merit in the 1996 Architectural Showcase.

1997: The tournament hosts the first men’s and women’s pro tennis awards benefit at the Jackie Gleason Theater on Miami Beach. Tennis stars Pete Sampras, Carlos Moya, Jim Courier, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova were on hand and joined by national and local celebrities for a star-studded evening featuring comedian Dennis Miller as the emcee. More than $100,000 was raised and distributed to the Ashe-Buchholz Tennis Center in Moore Park and the Community Partnership for Homeless. On March 22, the tournament formally dedicates the men’s locker room to Tim Gullikson with an on-court presentation that includes Butch Buchholz, Pete Sampras, Rosemary Gullikson, and Tim and Rosemary’s children, Megan and Erik Gullikson. On March 30, top seed Martina Hingis defeats two-time women’s champion and former world ranked No.1 Monica Seles, 6-2, 6-1, in 43 minutes. Hingis became the top-ranked player on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour following her championship run. On March 31, Thomas Muster defeats Sergi Bruguera 7-6(6), 6-3, 6-1 to win the tournament, eight years after defaulting to Ivan Lendl in 1989 when he was injured in a car accident the night before the final.

1998: On January 5, the tournament sells a record number of tickets the first day individual tickets go on sale for the 1998 tournament - a 40 percent increase over the previous single day sales record set on opening day 1997. On March 20, Butch Buchholz organizes a reunion of the WCT’s “Handsome Eight” in an on-court ceremony at the tournament to honor the 30-year anniversary of Open tennis. On March 26, Steve Campbell becomes the first qualifier ever to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament. On March 28, 23rd-seeded Anna Kournikova becomes the first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour player to defeat four Top 10 players in one event, setting down No. 5 Monica Seles, No. 9 Conchita Martinez, No. 2 Lindsay Davenport, and No. 8 Aranxta Sanchez Vicario before losing to No. 11 Venus Williams in a three-set final. On March 29, Marcelo Rios becomes the first Latin American male to reach No. 1 on the ATP after defeating Andre Agassi in the final. In August, Butch Buchholz announces that Ericsson will acquire the title sponsorship of the tournament beginning in 2000. In October, the tournament announces that the men’s and women’s finals will be broadcast on Fox with the men’s final played on Saturday, and the women’s on Sunday - the first time the final days have ever been played that way.

1999: On Feb. 12, the tournament announces its best field in history with 48 of the top 50 women and 47 of the top 50 men competing. On March 28, Venus and Serena Williams appear in the first all-sister final since 1884 when Maud and Lillian Watson met at the Wimbledon final. Venus won 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. In June, Butch Buchholz announces that his family will sell the tournament to IMG.

2000: On March 24, at the first Ericsson Open, little known 17-year-old Andy Roddick secures his first ATP victory, 6-4, 6-0 over Fernando Vincente. Roddick loses to Andre Agassi, 6-2, 6-3, in the second round. On April 2, Pete Sampras wins his third singles title by defeating Brazil’s Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten in a four-set epic in front of a boisterous, partisan crowd. Following his win, Sampras said “I can definitely walk out of this tournament feeling real confident and real good about the way things went. The crowd was huge today. I got chills up my spine a number of times.” Sampras would win only two more tournaments in his career: 2000 Wimbledon and the 2002 US Open. On August 30, the tournament announces it will add a 12th day to its schedule in order to give players more time between matches.

2001: On March 31, Venus Williams defeats Jennifer Capriati in a thrilling three-set final, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4), to win her third title in four years. Tennis Magazine would name it the Best Women’s Match of 2001. On April 1, Andre Agassi defeats Jan-Michael Gambill 7-6 (7), 6-1, 6-0 in the final, to win his fourth title in Miami, the most of any male.

2002: On Feb. 5, the tournament teams with NASDAQ-100 (QQQ), an index of 100 of the largest non-financial U.S. and non-U.S. companies listed on the National Market tier of the NASDAQ Stock Market. Butch Buchholz opens the NASDAQ Market for trading with help from tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Rod Laver. On March 19, Cliff Buchholz’s retirement as tournament director after 18 years is officially recognized as Butch Buchholz dedicates the Stadium Player Center in his honor. On March 25, Pete Sampras makes what would become his final appearance losing in the third round to Fernando Gonzalez of Chile. He wins the US Open later in the year and announces his retirement in 2003. Sampras was a three-time champion and was 42-10 in 14 years. On March 28, perhaps the most exciting day and night of tennis in tournament history, Serena Williams defeats Venus Williams in the day session in straight sets to advance to her first final. Both night session matches go to third-set tie breaks as No. 1 seed Lleyton Hewitt defeats Marat Safin and Jennifer Capriati downs Monica Seles. Capriati sealed match point at 12:20 a.m. on March 29, her 26th birthday. On March 31, Andre Agassi wins his fifth title with a four-set victory over Roger Federer, tying his wife Steffi Graf for the most titles in tournament history. On June 4, the tournament announces that Executive Vice President Adam Barrett succeeds Cliff Buchholz as tournament director. On Aug. 22, Serena Williams opens the NASDAQ Market for trading at 9:30 a.m. at NASDAQ MarketSite. She goes on to win the US Open.

2003: On Feb. 18, Mary Joe Fernandez is named the official tournament ambassador. The Miami native participated in 11 tournaments in her hometown and continues to be heavily involved in the tennis community as a commentator for ESPN and CBS. On March 22, another chapter in tournament history closes when Michael Chang walks off the court after losing in the second round to Andre Agassi. Chang, the 1992 tournament champion, retired at the end of the 2003 season. On March 30, Andre Agassi wins his third consecutive and sixth title over Carlos Moya (6-3, 6-3). The win propels Agassi past his wife, Steffi Graf, in total titles. The entire match is shown live on the NASDAQ MarketSite screen on Broadway in Times Square in New York City. On Aug. 20, Andy Roddick and Butch Buchholz are welcomed to the Market Open of the NASDAQ prior to the US Open. Two weeks later Roddick would win his first Grand Slam

2004: On March 26, Serena Williams returns to the court for the first time since winning Wimbledon the previous July with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Marta Marrero. Williams, sporting her new Nike gear, would roll to her third consecutive title. March 27, the Tennis Channel broadcast over 12 hours of live match coverage from the first Saturday of the event. On April 2-4, the men’s and women’s finals were both telecast live on CBS, while the men’s semifinals were both live on ESPN2. This was the first time since 1992 that both finals were televised live on network TV in the United States. On April 4, Andy Roddick, truly a hometown hero, is crowned champion. Roddick defeats Guillermo Coria, 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 0-0 after Coria retired due to back spasms at 0-40 during the first game of the fourth set.

2005: The tournament sets session attendance records in five different sessions, including a 2005 best of 17,180 on Good Friday. The total attendance of 263,118 marked a gain of over 9,000 from 2004. On April 2, Kim Clijsters became the first unseeded women’s player to win the title, winning seven matches while dropping only an astounding 27 games en route to the championship. She defeated No. 5 seed Anastasia Myskina in the Round of 16, No. 4 seed Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals, top seed Amelie Mauresmo in the semifinals and No. 2 seed Maria Sharapova, 6-3, 7-5 in the final. The next day, Roger Federer avenged his 2004 loss to Rafael Nadal in dramatic fashion. He spotted the young Spaniard two sets and a break before prevailing 2-6, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-1 to take the championship in three hours, 42 minutes in what most were calling the best final in the history of the event. On August 25, 2005 Champion Roger Federer and Butch Buchholz open the NASDAQ Market prior to the US Open. Roger Federer goes on to win the 2005 US Open.

2006: An amazing year for the tournament begins with the announcement of the return to equal prize money ($533,500 - winners check - first time equal since 1989) for the men and women. Electronic line calling debuts for both the ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, as the Hawkeye system is introduced at the 2006 event on the Stadium court and later also utilized in the United States at the US Open Series events and at the US Open. The first match to use the system had Jamea Jackson playing Ashley Harkelroad. Jackson defeated Ashley Harkleroad 7-5, 6-7, 7-5 in over three hours with Jackson being the first to throw out the challenge. It came 57 minutes into the match and it was not successful. In all, the players challenged 161 calls, overruling only 53. The tournament also smashed it’s total attendance record – 272,033, breaking old record of 270,143 in 2001. The event featured five sellouts, including men’s final. Two important improvements to the stadium were introduced, chairback seats on the 400 level, and video boards which enabled the stadium spectators to see the replay results. On March 30, Svetlana Kuznetsova helped NASDAQ open the market from the stadium court, the first time the market had ever been opened for trading from a sporting event. Kuznetsova went on to win the women’s title the next day, defeating Maria Sharapova. Roger Federer capped off his second straight title on April 2, defeating Ivan Ljubicic in three tiebreak sets. On August 29, Butch Buchholz and Dee Dutta announced that Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, a 50:50 joint venture between Sony Corporation and Ericsson, would replace NASDAQ-100 as title sponsor effective for the 2007 event in a multi-year deal. NASDAQ would remain a sponsor of the Sony Ericsson Open in 2007.