• The new duo sensation of the ATP tour won their first title
• It is the Greek’s first ATP 500, and the third for the Spaniard in doubles

Acapulco, February 26th,2022. – Stefanos Tsitsipas and Feliciano López won the doubles category of the XXIX edition of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, after defeating the couple Marcelo Arevalo (4) and Jean Julien Rojer 7-5, 6-4  in an hour 33 minutes.

It was the second tournament in which the Greek and the Spaniard were a couple (Vienna 2021), so accepting the invitation of the Tournament was not a waste at all. Getting the ATP 500 title in Acapulco means they had a quick adaptation process, where the experience of Feliciano, winner in doubles of Roland Garros (2016), helped S. Tsitsipas get his very first title in the category.

“Why not doubles? Maybe it will boost my confidence for singles. It was amazing. It’s a good thing we decided to play together. Great excitement for me, and the Mexican fans were an extra bonus” confessed the Greek, who on his possible return to Mexico ensures “First, I have to be healthy, but hopefully I can return to Mexico and play again and again. The tournament is amazing.”

On the other hand, F. Lopez hopes to continue playing with him “Being able to get a title even though we played for just a bit of time is very nice. From the first time we played together in the Laver Cup, we knew we made a great team. He is a young player with an incredible charisma. I consider myself fortunate to know him and play with him.”

The Salvadoran Marcelo Arévalo (4) and the Dutch Jean Julien Rojer also had an outstanding participation in the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, however their strategy was not enough of a challenge for them.. They came from being champions this year in Dallas and Delray Beach. Even Arévalo was champion in 2018 in Los Cabos together with the Mexican Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela.

This final broke the attendance record for a doubles match in the tournament.. Feliciano López pointed out the high level of the organizers on an historical and very challenging inauguration of the new venue “The work they invested here for many years is very special. The tournament is so loved by players for a reason, they’ve earned that affection over the years. There aren’t many tournaments like this, with an atmosphere like this. It has a special aura.”

It was his sixth title in doubles and he enjoyed the fans’ love at the Arena GNP Seguros “We must recognize that the tournaments in Mexico are special due to the organization and the people. We like to feel supported, surrounded by people. I think the new stadium has gone a step further. It’s an impressive job.”

• Raúl Zurutuza, director of the tournament, qualified the AMT2022 as “incredible” and “a lot of new experience”.
• He said the Tournament has room for improvement and, in 2023, the venue will be even more functional.
• The tournament “was very positive” and starting next Monday, we will continue to work on the XXX edition.

Acapulco, February 26^th. – The Tournament’s Director, Raúl Zurutuza, considered that the XXIX edition of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel Presentado por HSBC and the premiere of the Arena GNP Seguros as a new venue “has been incredible and we learned a lot”, which will help shape the 2023 Tournament.

“In conclusion, it was extraordinary, we had very good things, and we also learned a lot, we have a venue that is already the best tennis venue in Latin America, a modern stadium and some details to improve,” said Zurutuza in a press conference.

When Raul talked about the XXX edition, he said that starting next Monday he will start planning “because it is a very important year, it will be the tournament’s 30^th anniversary”.

“2023 will be a very interesting year because I think we set the bar very high,” he said.

When talking about the venue’s improvements, he noted that the stadium courts will be completely repaired; “we will redo it”, in order to improve the entire area around the stadium.

“We have to improve the experience for the public, players, sponsors and press,” he said.

Zurutuza said he will insist on promoting the tournament: “we still want to be a Masters 1000”.

Regarding the presence of 5 of the Top 10 in the tournament, the Russian Daniil Medevedev (No.2), the German Alexander Zverev (No.3), the Greek Stefanos Tsipas (No.4), the Spanish Rafael Nadal (No.5) and the Italian Matteo Berrettini (No. 6), said that “it is possible to improve but in order to achieve this, we have to work hard”.

When speaking about Medvedev, he pointed out that there is a good chance that “he will return next year and become a fixed asset of the tournament, and Acapulco will be in his calendar”.

Raul also mentioned that in 2023, the ATP tournament’s schedule will go back to normal, and Acapulco and Indian Wells Master 1000 will be “back-to-back”, the same for 2024 and 2025, indicating that “on paper we should have a very good player field and that puts us in a very strategic position”.

Raul thanked the players for their comments and suggestions, “we had zero complaints” and mentioned that next year will be a new challenge.

Regarding the young player, Rodrigo Pacheco, Raul said the player had a great tournament since everyone supported him all week and “he managed to train with almost all the players, he only missed Nadal” and believes that “sooner or later, the Top 100 player will arrive (from Mexico), but the infrastructure is ready”.

Zurutuza also highlighted the response of the public towards the tournament which he described as “extraordinary” and also thank the work from Mextenis who made the tournament “a success”.

He said that the company seeks the return of a WTA tournament but now as owners of the franchise.

• The Spaniard defeated Medvedev by a double 6-3, and reach the final.
• He saved 11 break points in order to win in straight sets.

One of the finalists of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC is the same player who came to win the title 17 years ago: Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard, currently number 5 in the world, will have the opportunity to win the title in Acapulco once again.

The Spaniard won the semifinal against Daniil Medvedev. During the first set, Nadal showed one of his best versions to offset the Russian. During the second set, the audience got emotional for this encounter and enjoyed it more.

Rafa held his serve in order to save Medvedev’s 11 break opportunities in the second set. Nadal survived thanks to a pair of sloppy hits, extraordinary volleys, and mistakes coming from his rival. The Russian could no longer recover, and Nadal secured his victory with a double 6-3.

Comparing the Australian Open final, Rafa stated that the conditions were different from those in Melbourne. The Manacor also highlighted how well he was with his serve, especially in that second set.

In the final, Nadal will have his fourth match against Cameron Norrie, whom he has defeated on three occasions last season. The Brit has still not been able to win a set against the Manacor after the defeats at the Australian Open, Barcelona and Roland Garros.

Nadal could become the third player with four titles in Acapulco, after Thomas Muster and his compatriot David Ferrer. In addition, he could surpass his own record as the longest-standing champion of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, which he already  established in the 2020 edition.

• Rafa highlighted his good start to this season: he started off with two titles in Australia.
• He reaffirmed his gratitude to the Mexican public for the support they have given him

The Australian Open final had the same result as tonight: Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev met once again, just like they did in the first Grand Slam of the season; the Russian could not defeat Nadal.

“Those were different conditions. The second set was very exciting with incredible points. I made few mistakes, but I played well, my serve worked very well,” Nadal explained at a press conference while comparing his semifinal match at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC and the Australian Open final.

In a very exciting match, especially in the second set, Rafa knew how valuable it was to continue to think all the positive emotions he has felt in this season.

“There have been a lot of high-level tennis. I took the lead, and I ended the match. It is a very talented victory. This confirms, for me, that things are going incredible. Being in the final in Acapulco means a lot, it has always been so,” he said.
Nadal could express enough his gratitude towards the Mexican public, they have supported him for 17 years. ” I’m very grateful for being here and playing. I’m very happy and grateful to Mexico and for the support and affection for so many years, it is difficult to describe. I can only thank you,” he said after his victory.

• The Greek, who was eliminated in singles, will play for the doubles title

Acapulco, February 25th. – The Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the doubles final of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC and managed to rescue his participation in the XXIX edition.

Tsitsipas and the Spaniard Feliciano López, with a wildcard, they got to the final by defeating the British Lloyd Glasspool and the Finn Harri Heliovaara 6-4, 6-4.

The Greek, who previously played the first semifinal in the singles category and lost to the British Cameron Norrie, was highly competitive and, this Saturday, he will seek the doubles title, as a kind of consolation prize along with the veteran Spanish tennis player.
Their rivals will be the Salvadoran Marcelo Arévalo and the Dutchman Jean Julien Rojer, who defeated the Mexican Hans Hach Verdugo and the American John Isner by 7-5, 7-5 in a match in which the Mexican fans were full of excitement and supported their compatriot in the Arena GNP Seguros.

• The 16-year-old celebrated his first participation in a professional tournament in Acapulco.

After decades, finally the spotlight is back on the Mexican tennis and it points to a 16-year-old young player, his name: Rodrigo Pacheco.

Despite his young age, from now on the young player, ranked 16th in the ITF Junior ranking, has many expectations and dreams, from the fans, that Mexico will once again have a player in the Top 100 of the ATP.

In this Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, the young player came to the qualy with a wilcard. During his only game, he won the first set against the American Denis Kudla, in which it was his first participation in a professional tournament. Pacheco, lost (6-4, 4-6 and 1-6) but in the end he gained experience.

Meanwhile, the experienced Mexican players Hans Hach Verdugo (doubles), who will play the semifinals in Acapulco, and Santiago González, who was eliminated in the quarterfinals, spoke about Pacheco’s future.

“He is an incredible kid, he hits the ball very hard, I wish him the best and I hope that, together, we can help him, I think he will have a good future,” Hach Verdugo told media.

Meanwhile, González welcomed him and his potential in tennis.

“It’s been a long time since we had a young talent with that level, we hope that he can keep moving forward towards a good path, and that he can improve his tennis, we need a player for singles in Mexico and hopefully he will get what we all want: a Mexican in the top 100 in the world,” said González.

Pacheco has surprised everyone in this season when he reached the quarterfinals in the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season which helped him earn the invitation to Acapulco.
For the Director of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, Raúl Zurutuza, Pacheco, born in the state of Yucatán in 2005 and trained by Alain Lemaitre, “is one of the great promises of the Mexican tennis, and we followed the philosophy of bringing players under 25 years old and we have Pacheco a wildcard. Rodrigo is at a very good age to start”

• The Spaniard won the third title of his career at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.
• Rafa was 18 years old the first time he played in Acapulco
• Nadal has won the trophy on 3 different occasions 

Some time ago, the organization of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC gave an invitation to an 18-year-old Spanish boy to play that tournament in 2005. A year before that, Rafa had already managed to defeat Roger Federer for the first time, former number one in the world, and he was beginning to amaze world.

Young Rafael came to a tournament full of experienced players. Carlos Moyá, Gastón Gaudio, Jiri Novak, Agustín Calleri, Guillermo Cañas, Juan Ignacio Chela, among others, players who led the ranking of that event.

Even that edition of the tournament served as a premonition. The semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Mariano Puerta would repeat itself again in the final of Roland Garros later that season. All the signs pointed to the inevitable success that the Spanish would achieve in Paris, in the clay, and in the circuit in general.

17 years later, Rafael Nadal continues to be at the top of the world, and he is currently pursuing his fourth title in Acapulco. The trophy that we won back in 2005 was one of the 11 titles he achieved during that season; one could say it was the best of his career in terms of titles obtained. Now, the Spaniard is on the other side of the timeline.

Rafa is surrounded by young people in the XXIX edition of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC. He entered the tournament as the third-oldest player in the main draw behind Feliciano López and Fernando Verdasco, who already appear outside of the top 100 of the ATP ranking.

With his experience and his technique which has gotten him 21 Grand Slam titles, more than 200 weeks as number one and 90 titles in general, Rafael Nadal has kept few things intact; one of them is the illusion. Everything and nothing has changed since he was a boy who set foot in Mexico for the first time, and who almost two decades later, have left an indelible legacy.

Whenever Nadal conquers Acapulco, he also conquers Roland Garros with memorable seasons. In 2005 he achieved his first Grand Slam, in 2013 he finished the year as number one in the world, and in 2020 he tied Roger Federer at the top of the majors.
The Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC is not the same as it was 17 years ago. Neither is Rafael Nadal. Both have grown hand-in-hand and separately, they have influenced the other for its evolution.