How Acapulco is turning to the Mexican Open in the wake of Hurricane Otis

When the first serve is delivered Monday at the 2024 Mexican Open in Acapulco, it will come exactly four months and a day after it seemed certain the tennis tournament would not come to pass.

In a 12-hour-period beginning on the evening of Oct. 24, Hurricane Otis strengthened from a tropical storm to a Category 5, sustaining winds of over 165 mph as it made landfall in the Mexican state of Guerrero on the country’s Pacific coastline. Otis collided head on with Acapulco, causing dozens of deaths and billions in destruction while creating an ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region.

Arena GNP Seguros, which seats more than 10,000 and has put on the Mexican Open since 2022, sustained severe flooding in the playing area. Outside the structure, twisted metal and loose debris were littered throughout. Court 2 was heavily damaged, with an entire flank of seating collapsing in the wake of the storm.

In the days following the hurricane, organizers discussed the possibility of moving the tournament altogether, noting not just damage to the sporting complex but to most of Acapulco’s hotels and the city’s international airport, which remained closed for weeks after Otis.

However, when Acapulco was officially confirmed in December as the host of this year’s Mexican Open, a mad dash was on to have a tennis tournament serve as the city’s reintroduction to the world. A statement released on X relayed organizers’ optimism at the prospect of showcasing the “emblematic city,” calling the event’s return a significant milestone in its reconstruction and revitalization.

“By hosting the tournament in Acapulco,” the organizing committee wrote. “We’re not just supporting tennis, but generating a positive impact on the local economy and the community… Acapulco is still standing.”

A bright spot in turbulent times

Rafael Nadal, who has won four Mexican Open singles finals and 22 Grand Slam titles, expressed his dismay at the scenes coming from Acapulco through an Instagram post.

“I am saddened by the images of destruction from Hurricane Otis in the place where I played so many times,” Nadal wrote.

With its sun-soaked beaches and year-long warm temperatures, Acapulco was a premier destination during most of the 20th century. John F. Kennedy honeymooned there. Frank Sinatra referenced the area while crooning “Come Fly With Me.” Elvis Presley’s 1963 film “Fun in Acapulco,” though filmed in Hollywood, remains a testament to America’s fixation with the city.

Subsequently, competition from other Mexican beach venues such as Los Cabos and Cancún and the onset of organized crime curbed international tourism. By 2017, the once idyllic destination had turned into “Mexico’s murder capital.”

Through it all, the Mexican Open relocated from Mexico City to Acapulco in 2001 and embedded itself as a staple within the community, generating jobs and much-needed goodwill. Tennis legends such as Nadal and Venus Williams have briefly returned glamour to the city by raising the championship trophy (sombrero included) to the delight of fans.

“[Events like the Mexican Open] are obviously going to help with tourism, but a lot of the success depends on the local grassroots efforts, as well,” said Walter Franco of Victus Advisors, a sports business consulting firm. “It’s not just about the event itself, but the things leading up to it. The initiatives to get the local community involved are key.”

While tourism had begun to rebound by the end of the decade, COVID-19 threatened another enduring blow. Through August of last year, hotel occupancy numbers reached pre-pandemic levels for the first time, signaling another recovery for the region.

Then, Otis hit.

‘A nightmare scenario’

Weather models initially predicted Otis to be in the range of a tropical storm or a minor hurricane by the time it struck Acapulco. The National Hurricane Center called what was about to unfold in southern Mexico that evening “a nightmare scenario.” Despite the warning, many residents and tourists were caught off guard by Otis’ impact.

Along Acapulco’s Zona Diamante (Diamond Zone), waves crashed through one-story buildings, causing extensive flooding. The powerful winds broke windows, hurled cars into the air and ripped smaller trees from the ground, turning them into projectiles.

Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador told the nation in a news conference the morning after Otis made landfall that communication with the area was “completely lost.” Among those unable to reach out to loved ones in the hours after the hurricane were José Luis Zarazúa and Celia Tanaka, the grandparents of Mexico’s top-ranked female tennis player.

“My grandparents were locked in their bathroom for hours,” Renata Zarazúa said. “Once the worst was over, they were in shock for a bit. Their refrigerator was yanked from their kitchen and out the window. Beds were torn out of bedrooms and also ended up outside. To this day, they haven’t been able to go back home.”

Zarazúa’s own history with Acapulco is undoubtedly sunnier. In 2020, she shocked then top-ranked Sloane Stephens in the first round of the Mexican Open, eventually making it to the semifinals. It would be the last year in which Acapulco featured a female tournament, ending a nearly two-decade run.

“It’s a sad feeling,” Zarazúa said. “Because as a participant, I was left with a very positive memory of Acapulco. The energy of that crowd is incomparable. That whole experience, especially during the match against [Stephens] has stayed in my heart since then.”

An ongoing recovery

A promotional video released last month interspersed sequences of the destruction caused by Otis with laborers working to refurbish the Arena GNP Seguros in time for the 2024 Mexican Open. A final drone shot shows the Diamond Zone and the nearly restored tennis complex, inviting fans to partake in the event.

“It’s an opportunity to show the world that they can rebound from these types of situations,” Franco said. “I think Mexico in general has that resilient mindset in the wake of natural disasters. In [1986], they were still able to host the World Cup after that massive earthquake hit [Mexico City] a year before.”

This year’s participants in the Mexican Open include Germany’s Alexander Zverev, American Taylor Fritz and Australia’s Alex De Minaur, the defending singles champion. Long after they pack up and leave Acapulco for the next stop on the ATP tour, the recovery efforts will continue.

Since late October, the Mexican government and charitable organizations have joined forces to alleviate the hardships in the area. The threat of famine looms, as about 70% of the state’s crops are in danger of being lost because of excessive moisture in the days following Otis. Thousands of Guerrero residents have not yet recovered economically from the storm. Some lost businesses, others homes.

Most schools in the area have not yet reopened, and this year’s Pacific hurricane season is only three months away.

“We’re broken by the stories we hear from people who have lost it all after Otis and have been forced to live on unsheltered,” said Cecilia Feria, regional director for World Vision Mexico.

Though events such as the Mexican Open might seem like a drop in the bucket as far as returning Acapulco to its glory days, they go a long way when it comes to resetting the mood.

“It’s so important,” Feria said. “People not only need to recover their material goods but reclaim their lives, a sense of normalcy, and think about anything else that isn’t the pain of having lost it all. It’s hard to start over again when you don’t know how long it’s going to last.”