- During the traditional press day with the players, several had words of encouragement for Acapulco and were happy to be part of the reactivation of the destination.
Acapulco, February 25, 2024 – The focus is Acapulco, that is how the players understand it, who are looking to give the best of themselves this week in the face of days of competition and celebration for the reactivation of the destination, which just four months ago suffered the devastation of Hurricane Otis.
World No. 6 and top seed of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC, Alexander Zverev, is aware that the mission is to play but also to send a clear message of support “It is one of the most beautiful places in the world, obviously it was a tragedy what happened but as tennis players we love to come back here and play with all the fans. To be honest now the focus is on rebuilding the city and doing everything we can to help.”
The fifth seed and one of the protagonists, Stefanos Tsitsipas, surprised everyone by announcing that for every ace he gets in the tournament he will donate 1,000 dollars to the reconstruction, he also sent a message of encouragement to everyone “Very good to be back, happy that the tournament is still going strong, it is something we did not expect after the tragedy of a few months ago. It gives me happiness that so many people came together and made this possible to return everything to this beautiful city of Acapulco. I am here with my tennis to give the best I can to the communities”.
Also present in front of the sea was the 2023 champion, Alex de Miñaur, who this year debuted in the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Ranking “Very happy and grateful to be back in Acapulco where I have had very good feelings and looking forward to face this year and see how things go. I’m looking forward to compete. We have to wait, every day I’m in Mexico I get used to the conditions. Let’s also hope that the light returns to Acapulco after everything that has happened,” said the Australian, who won his first match in his quest to defend his title.
For his part, Holger Rune, second favorite by ranking, is back, where he will seek to surpass last year’s semifinals “It feels amazing to be back, we didn’t know it was going to happen because of the hurricane but everyone worked so hard to make it happen that we have to put on the best show for all the people. The weather is great, very hot and humid but I feel like I’m used to it”.
Young American sensation, Ben Shelton, is not far behind on the pleasant sensations of returning despite the challenges “It’s great to be back, such a beautiful place. It’s different this time, there’s devastation from the hurricane but it’s been amazing to see how so many people are working to improve Acapulco and get it back to what it used to be. I’m glad that by playing we can bring something positive to the city and the country, I’m glad to be here…” he also revealed that he has felt a great evolution during his last 12 months “A year ago when I came to Acapulco I was just starting to travel on the tour and in this year I have gained a lot of confidence in all the tournaments I have played”.
Finally Taylor Fritz, fourth seed of the ATP 500, is confident of continuing to reap positive numbers in the tournament. “I’m very happy to be back, it’s one of my favorite tournaments, I’ve always had good results here. I think I’ve improved a lot as a player over the years, my forehand is much better. My goal here is to take it one game at a time and see how far I can go.”
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