- The German won his first Silver gourd in the XXVIII edition, the last played before the definitive change of venue for the tournament.
Mexico City, February 13th, 2023.- The Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC has always been associated with the participation of players who could later become the next big star in tennis. Alexander Zverev is no exception, before his 20´s he was in the spotlight of the event; now he boasts being one of the champions of Acapulco.
The German had been confirmed for the 2017 edition, sharing banner with Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin Del Potro, among others. However, an injury left him out of the main draw, but came back the following year as a Top 10 player to begin carving his way on the beaches of Acapulco (Guerrero state).
It was until 2019 when he had his first opportunity to lift the Silver gourd (winning trophy), but Nick Kyrgios defeated him in that final. The following year he was unlucky against Tommy Paul in the second round, but in 2021 the winning trophy welcomed him with open arms. In that edition, Zverev overcame Carlos Alcaraz in the first round, who was just taking his first steps in the professional circuit. Then “Sascha” (as he´s called) reached the final without dropping a set and won the new title after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 7-6(3).
For last year´s edition, Alexander was unable to defend his crown, but entered the history books not only of the tournament, but also of the ATP, with the longest end of the day session, since records have been kept, after his match against Jenson Brooksby (USA). Both faced each other for over 3 hours and 20 minutes at the new venue of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC, setting a new record.
“Sascha’s” first memory in Acapulco came thanks to his brother Mischa, who also attended the tournament in several editions. “My brother played against Nadal for the first time. I didn’t go to the tournament that year, it was in 2017. That was probably my first memory of Acapulco,” the German recalled.
For Zverev, that the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC can celebrate three decades of existence is clear proof “that it´s becoming a historic event. There are many tournaments that come and go but turning 30 means that they are trying to build something special, now with the new stadium, I think it will be there for a long time. The players always like to go there,” Alexander commented.
What “Sascha” enjoys most when he´s in Acapulco is “the place where we play. It’s fascinating to go to the ocean in the morning and play your matches and practice in the afternoon and evening, I think it’s very special,” he expressed regarding the destination he has visited for several years.
Zverev defines Mexican fans as “very energetic, loud. It’s always very enjoyable to play in front of a crowd like that”. Something he has been able to prove every time he´s stepped into the main stadium of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC.
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