20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has been slammed by the organisers of the Mexican Open, the ATP tournament held every year in the resort town of Acapulco.
World No. 1 Federer opted to skip the entire clay court season in 2017, which helped him in winning a record eighth Wimbledon crown in 2017. The Swiss legend is planning to use the same strategy this year as he focuses his energies towards defending his title at the All England Club.
For the same reason, Federer decided to miss the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in the UAE and has never participated in the Mexican Open in Acapulco.
And the directors of the tournament in Acapulco have criticised Federer for not appearing in the popular competition in Mexico.
As the tournament has gained in popularity, the organisers of the Abierto Mexicano de Tennis in Acapulco have decided to construct a new 10,000-12,000 seat stadium.
“We don’t need him,” said Alejandro Burillo, the Grupo Pegaso director, the event management firm behind the Mexican Open.
“There is nothing that promotes Acapulco like this tournament does, and we’d like that in the future they do it even more,” added Hector Astudillo Flores, the chief of Guerriero State.
Former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro defeated Kevin Anderson of South Africa to the claim the Mexican Open title on Sunday.
Pre-tournament favourite Rafael Nadal withdrew from the event due to a hip injury. The same issue had forced him to retire from his Australian Open quarter-final encounter against Marin Cilic of Croatia in January.
Federer will soon be seen at the Indian Wells Masters in California, where he is the defending champion.
