"Happy to create happiness and give hope" - Stefanos Tsitsipas on his pledge to donate to those suffering the effects of Acapulco hurricane

Stefanos Tsitsipas recently said he is eager to help rebuild Acapulco, which is why he has pledged to donate money for every ace he hits at the Mexican Open this year.

Hurricane Otis, classified as a Category 5 intensity natural phenomenon, caused mayhem in Acapulco in October last year. Many people lost their lives in its wake, and there was also destruction worth billions of dollars. Authorities have since announced that it is the costliest tropical cyclone to ever hit Mexico.

Ahead of the ATP 500 event in Acapulco this year, Tsitsipas announced that he would be donating $1,000 for every ace he hits at the tournament this year.

"I will be donating $1,000 for every ace I hit this week in Acapulco. It’s going to be transferred to the relief programmes for Acapulco in 2024," he had declared.

After his win against Roman Safiullin, the World No. 12 said he had planned to donate the money a long time ago. He added that personally witnessing the devastation in the city had only strengthened his resolve to help in any way he could.

"In tough moments like this, I want to contribute and be helpful. So that was completely a no-brainer, that was something that I initially planned from a long time ago and I really wanted to make sure Acapulco gets fed, gets supported in difficult times," he said in his on-court interview.

"And you know, I saw a massive line when I was arriving from the airport to the courts, of people waiting to be fed. So that kind of made me feel really emotional about the whole situation and I'm happy that through tennis, I'm able to create happiness and also give hope to people that have been suffering for all these months," he added.

Stefanos Tsitsipas hit five aces in his opening win against Safiullin. Needless to say, he will be looking to add to that tally as he goes deeper into the tournament.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas to face Flavio Cobolli in Mexican Open 2R

Stefanos Tsitsipas in action at the 2024 Mexican Open.

Stefanos Tsitsipas got his 2024 Mexican Open campaign underway with a comfortable win against Roman Safiullin on Wednesday, February 28.

Having lost in straight sets to the Russian in Marseille in 2022, Tsitsipas leveled their head-to-head record by winning 6-3, 6-4 in Acapulco. With that, he also extended his win streak against players outside the top 20 to 11 matches.

The Greek player, who made it to the semifinals (2022) and final (2021) in his previous two appearances, will face Italian qualifier Flavio Cobolli in the second round.