Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece has promised to contribute $1000 to a foundation established to aid in Hurricane Otis’s recovery efforts for each ace he hits at this week’s Mexican Open.
The Mexican Open is held at Alcapulco, and last October, Hurricane Otis devastated the town extensively. 52 people were reportedly murdered, and the majority of the city’s resort hotels suffered serious damage, according to Reuters. According to an El Pais report that was released on November 1st, the estimated cost of the damage was $22 million. Since the hurricane, 25,000 Mexican military have also been deployed to the area, where persistent criminal problems exist. Because of the inadequate infrastructure and risk of violence, the Mexican Open decided to warn its players against leaving the grounds.
Tsitsipas has chosen to participate in fundraising initiatives to show his support for Acapulco. He finished runner-up in the ATP 500 event in 2021 and is currently ranked as the fifth seed.
Tsitsipas told reporters earlier this week, “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.”
The fact that so many people banded together to make it possible to restore everything to this lovely city of Acapulco makes me happy. I’m here to help the communities as much as I can with my tennis.
After the hurricane, much work has been done to restore the tournament for this week. The renovation cost more than 200 million pesos and involved 35 companies, according to the Mexican newspaper Milenio. Moreover, Geoffrey Fernández, the tournament director, asserts that his event has contributed to the creation of almost 11,000 employees.
“We collaborate with thousands of families and the community to advance Acapulco, as we are all driven by the same goal. Together, with the help of the federal, state, and local governments, we have accomplished a great deal to make this event exceptional. Recently, Fernández told Caras.
“The players have responded well; nobody has canceled, and they have been a big help in deciding to go ahead.” He continued.
Two surprises occurred on the first day of the Mexican Open as top seeds Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz were eliminated in the first round. Fritz lost against Matteo Arnaldi, while Paul was defeated in three sets by Jack Draper, the emerging star from Britain.
On Tuesday, Tsitsipas will take on Roman Safiullin in his debut encounter.