The rains ruin Day 1 in Miami.

Coco Gauff gives an MRI update and returns to her home tournament.

Plus, Jakub Mensik comes back to Miami chasing something only four legends have ever done.

Let's get you caught up on all the results, ramblings, and rigmarole from across the world of tennis.

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🌧️ Rain Check Mother Nature wipes out the first full day of main-draw action at the Miami Open, with all Wednesday matches cancelled due to persistent rain at Hard Rock Stadium. Grigor Dimitrov, Matteo Berrettini, and Stefanos Tsitsipas are among those left waiting.

🎯 Goosebumps Jakub Mensik returns to Miami as defending champion, defending 990 points after last year's win over his boyhood idol, Novak Djokovic, in the final. The list of players who have successfully defended in Miami is exactly four: Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, and Pete Sampras. The 20yo has dropped to 26th in the live rankings with those points falling off.

💪 All Clear Coco Gauff gets the green light to play at the Miami Open after a nerve issue forced her to retire against Alexandra Eala at Indian Wells. An MRI confirmed nothing structural, and the 22yo says the discomfort is fading daily. Gauff calls Miami a home tournament (she lives in Delray Beach) and admits she probably would have skipped any other event in this spot.

🔧 Gut Feeling Jack Draper returns to the tour a reinvented player after a bone bruise to his left arm cost him seven months. The 24yo Brit now uses natural gut strings in a hybrid setup (switching from full polyester) and has overhauled his serve with a wider platform stance, both changes designed to protect his body. The early returns are encouraging: at Indian Wells, his second tournament back, Draper tops Novak Djokovic in a 4th round thriller, attacking without hesitation on two decisive tiebreak points.

⏳ The Cut-Off Taylor Fritz arrives in Miami managing knee tendonitis that has dogged him since the Australian Open, with the condition flaring unpredictably. He was pain-free in Dallas, then suffered a setback at Indian Wells. The world #7 and his team have drawn a line in the sand around this tournament. If the knee cooperates, he pushes forward. If not, the clay swing gets trimmed, same as last year.

🔥 Flu Game Ben Shelton reveals he was battling the flu throughout Indian Wells, explaining his flat 3rd round loss to Learner Tien. The world #9 has spent the past 10 days in full recovery mode and declares himself healthy for Miami, where he holds a 1-3 career record but feels the fast conditions now suit his game better than they once did. Shelton won the Dallas ATP 500 earlier this season and made the Australian Open quarterfinals.

✊ Clap Back Aryna Sabalenka fires back at Dubai tournament director Salah Talak, who called for harsher penalties (including ranking point deductions) after Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek withdrew from the Dubai WTA 1000 earlier this season. Sabalenka calls his comments ridiculous at her Miami press conference, saying tournaments care only about selling tickets and not protecting players. She adds that the scheduling is getting out of control and questions whether she wants to play in Dubai again.

🌟 Wall of Fame Amanda Anisimova gets a mural at Hard Rock Stadium, and the world #6 initially thinks it might be AI. Artist Johann Aven spent six days and 90 spray cans on the piece, working across 58 colors. Anisimova, who grew up going to Crandon Park as a kid and made her WTA main draw debut in Miami in 2017, calls it a complete surprise.

💔 Walking Wounded 4th seeded Lorenzo Musetti withdraws from Miami with a right arm injury while Novak Djokovic pulls out with a shoulder issue and will drop from the top 3. On the WTA side, Emma Raducanu (illness), Barbora Krejcikova (left thigh), Marketa Vondrousova (shoulder, her fourth consecutive WTA 1000 missed), Karolina Pliskova (injury), Emma Navarro, and Daria Kasatkina are among 13 women to withdraw.

🚨 Blood Work Former Australian #1 and world #39 Marinko Matosevic receives a four-year ban from the ITIA for multiple anti-doping violations committed between 2018 and 2020, including a blood doping violation involving a current tour player whose identity has not been disclosed. Matosevic also advised others on how to avoid detection. He initially denied all charges before issuing a public confession on social media, calling the ITIA process "corrupt." The independent chair of the case says Matosevic's conduct went far beyond passive association and struck at the core of the anti-doping framework.

Michael Zheng writes from a Tucson hotel room in Part 2 of his Tennis.com diary, recapping a stretch that ping-ponged him between campus, Indian Wells, and an Arizona team trip. The 2026 season has forced the dual life into sharp relief: one week he is playing a Masters 1000, the next he is catching up on coursework and lining up for Columbia doubles.

Giri Nathan writes in Defector about the symmetry that makes the Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina rivalry the best matchup on tour right now. Where most great rivalries hinge on contrasting styles, this one is a contest to see who can end the rally first, two players with almost identical agendas armed with enormous power.

"When I saw myself down 4–0, I told myself I had to keep believing. I didn't lose confidence and realised I had to go for the points." - Jannik Sinner on the 2nd set tiebreak comeback at Indian Wells ¹

"That was the first time I took an MRI, they're expensive, and I felt like that's what a coffin would feel like. It was very weird. I felt claustrophobic, so I definitely don't want to go into one of those again." - Coco Gauff on her post-Indian Wells recovery ²

"Coming back to Miami a year later brings back great memories and gives me goosebumps. I'm very happy to be back, well prepared, feeling good, and I want to enjoy every moment on court like I did last year." - Jakub Mensik on returning as defending champion ³

"This is kind of the cut-off. We said, after Miami if we're not seeing big improvements, it might be time to just slow down a bit on the playing and get it healed 100 percent." - Taylor Fritz on his knee tendonitis ⁴

"I was waking up every morning and felt like I couldn't stand and didn't have any energy. I was just trying to get some free points on my serve." - Ben Shelton on battling the flu at Indian Wells ⁵

"They chose me, which is like ... wow. That's crazy. I'm very honored. It's so, so cool." - Amanda Anisimova on discovering her mural at Hard Rock Stadium ⁶

MIAMI OPEN (ATP 1000) — 1st Round

◆ Denis Shapovalov vs. Botic van de Zandschulp

◆ Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs. Camilo Ugo Carabelli

◆ Nuno Borges vs. Reilly Opelka

◆ Matteo Berrettini vs. Alexandre Muller

◆ Zhang Zhizhen (PR) vs. Adrian Mannarino

◆ Grigor Dimitrov vs. Raphael Collignon

◆ Zizou Bergs vs. Jenson Brooksby

MIAMI OPEN (WTA 1000) — 1st Round

◆ Venus Williams (WC) vs. Francesca Jones

◆ Sara Bejlek vs. Talia Gibson (Q)

◆ Lilli Tagger (WC) vs. Ella Seidel (LL)

◆ Taylor Townsend (WC) vs. Lulu Sun (Q)

◆ Paula Badosa vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich (Q)

◆ Eva Lys vs. Yuliia Starodubtseva (Q)

◆ Haily Baptiste vs. Tatjana Maria

¹ Encabo, Nacho. "The 'octopus catch' lifts Jannik Sinner to the altar of the chosen: he is now 'Mr Hard Court.'" CLAY, March 16, 2026. link

² Addicott, Adam. "Coco Gauff Ready For Miami Open Campaign After Nerve Problem." Ubitennis, March 18, 2026. link

³ Varela, Sebastián. "Mensik faces his first title defence: 'Miami gives me goosebumps.'" CLAY, March 18, 2026. link

⁴ Addicott, Adam. "Taylor Fritz Pondering Brief Break From Tennis After Miami Open Campaign." Ubitennis, March 17, 2026. link

⁵ Jacot, Sam. "Shelton: 'It was a tough little stretch for me' at Indian Wells, ready for Miami." ATP Tour, March 18, 2026. link

⁶ Kallet, Brad. "90 spray cans later, Anisimova gets a mural at Miami Open." WTA, March 18, 2026. link

Additional Sources

Coombe, Jerome. "Why Mensik's 'new opportunity' in Miami could shape his Top 10 push." ATP Tour, March 18, 2026. link

Berkok, John. "Jannik Sinner surpasses 60 million dollars in career prize money following Indian Wells." Tennis.com, March 17, 2026. link

Livaudais, Stephanie. "Lesson Learned: Tournament director says Joao Fonseca 'needs to be on Stadium' in Miami." Tennis.com, March 16, 2026. link

Carayol, Tumaini. "Jack Draper adds new string to his bow as he rebuilds his game." The Guardian, March 18, 2026. link

Nathan, Giri. "I Can't Get Enough Of The Kaiju Battle Between Aryna Sabalenka And Elena Rybakina." Defector, March 17, 2026. link

Zheng, Michael. "The Michael Zheng diary, Part 2: 'The more you win, the more you're accepted.'" Tennis.com, March 18, 2026. link

Jacot, Sam. "Musetti withdraws from Miami with arm injury." ATP Tour, March 18, 2026. link

ATP Staff. "All Miami matches cancelled Wednesday due to rain." ATP Tour, March 18, 2026. link

Addicott, Adam. "Former Australian No.1, Coach Marinko Matosevic Banned For Doping Offences." Ubitennis, March 17, 2026. link

TENNIS.com. "Daniil Medvedev's travel woes continued as United loses his bags on the way to Miami." Tennis.com, March 18, 2026. link

García, Andrés. "Sabalenka responds: 'Her comment was ridiculous; all they care about is selling tickets.'" Marca, March 18, 2026. link