Rafael Nadal will play in Acapulco

MEXICO (AP) — Rafael Nadal confirmed his participation in the next edition of the Mexican Tennis Open on Monday, organizers said.

Nadal, fifth in the world ranking, joins Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Matteo Berrettini, who have also confirmed their presence in Mexico.

The ATP category 500 tournament — on hard courts — will take place from February 21 to 26 in Acapulco, a Mexican resort located about 350 kilometers south of the capital.

Nadal will play in Mexico for the sixth time in his career and will seek to add one more title to those he won in 2005, 2013 and 2020, which would equal the Austrian Thomas Muster and his Spanish compatriot David Ferrer.

“Rafa is very loved by the Mexican fans and he also has an important history with our tournament,” said tournament director Raúl Zurutuza. “It is a cause for celebration to have his presence.”

This year’s edition will be special for the organizers because they will inaugurate a new stage that will have capacity for just over 10,000 spectators, 2,500 more than the main stage of the Mextenis complex.

In addition, the new complex will have two additional stages, one with capacity for 3,000 people and another for 1,500.

“Because of the names we have this year, there is no doubt that there will be memorable duels to open the GNP Arena,” added Zurutuza. “We are about to take one of the biggest steps in the evolution of the tournament and you can’t ask for much more from this lineup.”