Taste of Tennis delivers again in Miami

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Welcome to Florida Week! As the tours head southeast for the Miami Open, TENNIS.com and Baseline will feature all things Sunshine State. You’ll learn about the personalities, stories, teams and venues that have made Florida one of the tennis capitals of the world. We’ll also be reporting from the Miami Open in Key Biscayne.

As you’ll learn this week, when it comes to tennis, Florida isn’t just a state—it’s a state of mind.

MIAMI – Citi Taste of Tennis kicked off the Miami Open in style once again, this time with a party on top of the W Miami. What better way to start a week of action than with professional chefs and professional players mingling on a rooftop overlooking stunning views of downtown?

One star to take over the room in style was none other than Venus Williams. Dressed in an impeccable white jumpsuit, Williams looked more like a movie star than a tennis player. She jumped behind the DJ booth, helped create some delicacies and sampled some food, before breezing out into the night.

Naturally, players love a good athletic challenge, so Citi Taste of Tennis set up a virtual reality mini-tennis court set up. While it looked both unusual and difficult, there’s nothing more “in” right now than VR.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands, the world's best doubles WTA player, is the defending champion in Miami (having won both Indian Wells and Miami last year). She had little trouble finding a crew for the night.

The event brought out everyone’s best sides with a dance floor and plenty of light-up blue rings to go around (thanks to Citibank).

Elina Svitolina, Kristina Mladenovic, Sam Querrey, Lauren Davis, Irina Falconi and Shelby Rogers were just some of the pros that took advantage of the wide variety of food (and drinks, which, of course, included plenty of water).

The event also supports a good cause; it's charitable partner is Wellness in the Schools.

Eugenie Bouchard managed to leave her mark before play even began by showing up in an oversized shirt and little else. The Canadian paired her shirt with Vetements boots (that are not cheap).

Bob and Mike Bryan were the marquee act along with celebrity chef Michelle Bernstein.

The next Taste of Tennis party will take place in New York ahead of the US Open. Don't miss out.