The 14th edition of the Emma Raducanu“>Monterrey Open will kick off on February 26 with the two US Open finalists, Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez, as outstanding participants in a poster of great category. Since 2009, the 250 WTA tournament began to establish itself as a benchmark to bring the best of female tennis talent to our country and behind this project is the figure of Hernán Garza Echavarría, one of the pioneers in the promotion of tennis in Mexico.
The businessman, enthusiastic about the 2022 edition, after two atypical years caused by the pandemicreflects in conversation with MILLENNIUM–the hobby about national talent and is optimistic about the future.
In the years of existence of the Open, how have you seen the evolution of this sport in our country and the competition that exists today?
I don’t see it as competition, just tennis, because each time the tournaments in Mexico have improved the level. Everything that has been done is important, that the WTA has turned to see the country to do the Finals, marks our country. Our sport has been growing, more and more Mexicans are practicing it. Sooner or later more players have to come out participating in the circuit with a good level.
You lived through the golden age of Mexican tennis, what has happened for decades that has not been able to consolidate a singles player at the top of the ranking?
I started these tournaments when Raúl Ramírez was a star in our country and his reaching the highest levels of tennis helped a lot to make him popular and to start creating tennis sports clubs. What happened? Personally, I never stopped promoting this sport, I am passionate and I am convinced that with everything that has been done, speaking of infrastructure, we have everything, there are great facilities for many sports. No There are excuses, if Mexican players don’t come out, it’s because we haven’t done something right. For our part, we have always been constant, we are supporting several tennis players who are outside the country here in Monterrey.
What do we expect from this 2022 edition besides the pleasant visits of the US Open finalists?
Every year I say that it will be the best tournament, but it is because there are always surprises. We want our event to be better every year, we work hard on the players and we focus on what we wanted the US Open finalists to be. because they put on a show and left the world shocked at the potential they have. For me it is the new generation of tennis players who come with a great desire to climb the top positions. Let them come, along with Svitólina, Madison Keys, Heather Watson, it’s a great cast of players, there will be a lot of competition. Emma and Leylah have already made history And of course they can meet. I would most like it to be a final but I can’t say, the 32 compete and anyone can win as has already happened.
How were the negotiations with both?
Everything was very nice. Well Leylah is the current champion, not that she has the commitment but the players come to defend their title and their points. After the US Open and the great tournament he did, if we focus on making the effort. It is not easy in the sense that we do not control their days, they have good and bad, after a defeat it is not easy. But they are professionals and quickly get up. Leylah has commented, it has not been easy to recover from the US Open. He is very consistent and very patient. There is more to work, work and work.
What do you consider to have been a turning point in the history of the tournament in favor of its evolution?
We held the tournament in a very nice club, the Sierra Madre Tennis Club, with 17 courts and a stadium, but after several years the event grew and we had to migrate for 2017. It was a turning point because at that moment a great sponsor like GNP came in and we managed to build a great stadium with capacity for 5,000 people and thus we have people not only local, but also from the US and the rest of the Republic. Having changed headquarters out of necessity was the biggest watershed. We are in Sonoma, in a very ecological environment and it is the players themselves who have promoted the tournament. Pavlyuchenkova, four times champions, said that there is something magical about this place. They always leave very happy, they have a good time, they like Mexican food, they like being here. These factors are important for them to speak well of the city and the country.
What are your future plans for this tournament? In addition to upgrading the men’s Challenger to ATP 250
The men’s tournament is also going very well, I would like there to be more Mexicans participating. As in the WTA, we are going to introduce more Mexicans to the classification. Many want to participate in the main draw, but I tell them that they have to climb and that’s how they realize their level, if they surpass it, they have the talent to be on the circuit. All this is happening little by little. The goal of this tournament has always been to have Mexican players in the tournament. This tournament is going to change a lot, I’m not just talking about prizes. Currently it is 250 thousand dollars, It may be higher but you have to hope that the locals are at a good level. Without being a big or small tournament, the best players in the world have paraded, this means that they like it and there is great competition. Then comes Indian Wells and for that reason our tournament serves as a preparation for them.
MGC
