Acapulco Open to be played in a bubble without Rafa Nadal, but with Tsitsipas
Spaniard Rafa Nadal will not attend due to the pandemic; Acapulco Open will feature Alexander Zverev and Diego Schwartzman.
The Mexican Tennis Open will not count with the presence of its reigning champion Rafael Nadal. Due to the pandemic, the Spaniard will not be present in Acapulco in search of his fourth Guaje inside the improvised Mextenis bubble, where three tennis players in the Top 10 of the ATP such as Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, and Diego Schwartzman will be present.
The state of Guerrero is in red traffic light of contagion by a coronavirus, so it is still unknown if there will be public between March 10 and 15 when the 28th version of the Mexican Tennis Open will be played. That is why the organizers of the tournament devised a bubble to safeguard the health of the tennis players and everyone who will be part of this atypical edition.
"It is an edition that represents many challenges, without a doubt, it is the tournament that will present more challenges throughout its history, but I am sure that all of us who make this possible will come out ahead and we will have a great tournament and a great celebration of the 28th anniversary of this tournament," said Raul Zurutuza, director of the event.
"We will have a bubble that many people will envy, the Princess Hotel is very open and overlooking the sea, it has a recreation area with a restaurant for them and an exclusive pool for the people of Green Zone, I'm sure we will do very well," he added.
In addition to Tsitsipas, Zverev, and Schwartzman, Fabio Fognini, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Grigor Dimitrov, Cristian Garin, Benoit Paire, Marin Cilic, Guido Pella, Sam Querrey, Tommy Paul, Laslo Djere, Pablo Andujar and Frances Tiafoe will grace the tournament, while Sebastian Korda, a pupil of Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi, as well as Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, will receive a wild card.
"Seventy percent of the list is below 50 in the world, it's a very good list with a good punch," boasted Zurutuza, who said he will keep a third wild card in case a Top 10 player decides to attend Acapulco at the last minute.
"The truth is a wild card that by strategy we have always kept, it is not a novelty and has sometimes generated problems for us. Gerardo Lopez Villaseñor will have a wild card, but if the tournament wins the lottery and Rafa (Nadal) or a Top 10 player wants to come, in that case, we will do that and use that wild card," he said.
