"I was surprised; A lot of unexpected visuals and ruins" - Stefanos Tsitsipas pledges donation for aces in Acapulco after Hurricane Otis' devastation

Stefanos Tsitsipas has expressed surprise at the scale of devastation in Acapulco caused by Hurricane Otis.

In October last year, Hurricane Otis (classified as a Category 5 intensity) caused mayhem in Acapulco, leading to several deaths and billions of dollars in destruction. It has since been announced that it was the costliest tropical cyclone to strike Mexico in the country's recorded history.

On the sidelines of the Mexican Open, which is currently underway in Acapulco, Tsitsipas spoke about witnessing the aftereffects of the hurricane firsthand. He expressed shock at the havoc it caused and hoped the ATP 500 event brought some joy to the fans in the city.

"I was surprised. I didn't expect the city to be in such a way. A lot of things, a lot of ruins and a lot of unexpected sort of visuals that I got to witness and see. That are disturbing of course because this city has gone through so much in the last few months," he said (via Tennis TV; 02:00).

"I only realized that in fact now that I got to see it how bad the situation was and it's quite unfortunate what happened here. But I hope with the tennis we're able to support it and do the best possible thing that we can to the municipality and the city in order to bring people back together, raise money and play for a good cause," he added.

Tsitsipas has also announced that he will 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 declared.

---

"I'm hoping for the best this week" - Stefanos Tsitsipas eager to go the distance in Acapulco this year

Stefanos Tsitsipas is set to take part in the 2024 Mexican Open in Acapulco.

Stefanos Tsitsipas came close to tasting success twice in Acapulco in recent years.

In 2021, the Greek player beat Benoit Paire, John Isner, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Lorenzo Musetti to reach the final, where he lost in straight sets to Alexander Zverev. The following year, he beat Laslo Djere, J.J. Wolf, and Marcos Giron to reach the semifinals, where Cameron Norrie beat him in straight sets.

Ahead of his Mexican Open campaign this year, Tsitsipas has stated that he is as hungry as ever to lift the trophy and hoped to finally lift the trophy this week.

"I keep coming back hungrier, trying to create a bigger sort of desire to lift that trophy. I'm hoping for the best this week and hope my tennis verifies it," he said, via the aforementioned source (00:52).

"I just need to stay resilient and keep on going with the same mindset and the attitude that I always impose on myself when I'm really hungry to do big things in a tournament," he added.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is scheduled to face Roman Safiullin in the Round of 32 on Tuesday, February 27.