Virtual kidnapping forces cancellation of Mexican tennis tournament

The Mexican Tennis Federation has announced the cancellation of an event due to the ‘virtual kidnapping’ of the players and coaching staff. The J30 tournament, the lowest-ranked tournament under the umbrella of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), would be hosted in the city of Irapuato.

However, according to the report, the competition was canceled due to the ‘virtual kidnapping’ of as many as ten players and coaching staff. “Virtual kidnapping” refers to a term used to trick individuals into believing that their loved ones are under threat.

The federation announced that all players and coaching staff have returned to their homes. The competition marked another difficult year in Mexican tennis. Previously, tennis courts in the country were hit by Hurricane John and then by flooding.

After that hurricane, the BNP arena, used for the ATP 500 event, remained flooded, and infrastructure was severely affected. Earlier this year, the Acapulco ATP 500 event was almost canceled due to another hurricane. That megastorm, which occurred in the last months of 2022, claimed as many as 52 lives.

Australian Alex de Minaur ultimately won the title this year. After securing the title, where the world number 10 defeated Norway’s three-time Grand Slam runner-up Casper Ruud in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-4, he declared the city his second to him.

“Acapulco is starting to become a second home,” De Minaur said immediately after the match. “I thought it was impossible to feel better after what happened last year, but a year later I came back to defend the title and it was a real pleasure. We wanted to bring some joy to this beautiful city. And I am sure that Acapulco will shine brighter than ever.”