Tennis commentator Brett Haber urges ATP and WTA to move players after El Mencho killing in Mexico

Tennis commentator Brett Haber has raised serious concern about player safety in Mexico after the reported killing of drug lord Nemesio Cervantes, widely known as El Mencho, on February 22 in Tapalpa, Jalisco. His message came while two major tennis tournaments, the ATP 500 Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco and the WTA 500 Merida Open, are currently taking place in the country. According to Mexico’s Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch, Nemesio Cervantes, 59, was killed in a military operation along with eight members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the group he led. Harfuch also shared that 25 members of the National Guard were killed during the violence that followed.

Local reports in Mexico have described unrest in parts of Jalisco after the operation. Brett Haber, who works with Tennis Channel, said he personally witnessed heavy police activity at the airport before leaving Mexico. He then publicly asked the ATP and WTA to consider moving players out of the country as a precaution.




On X, he wrote in full:

“Just left Mexico. Police activity at the airport was insane. Polite suggestion to the @atptour & @WTA – and to Larry Ellison: get one plane to Acapulco and one to Merida and get everybody out of there – and put them up for an extra week at Indian Wells to train and be safe. This is not a drill.” Despite the situation, tournament organizers in Acapulco have stated that the event will continue as scheduled.

Alexander Zverev, Alex de Minaur, Casper Ruud, Emma Navarro and Jasmine Paolini compete as Abierto Mexicano Telcel and Merida Open continue

Even with the concerns, many top players are already competing in Mexico this week.

At the WTA 500 Merida Open, Emma Navarro and Jasmine Paolini are the top two seeds. Sloane Stephens, Marie Bouzkova, Katie Boulter, Yulia Putintseva, and Donna Vekic are also part of the main draw. Jasmine Paolini, Emma Navarro, and Marie Bouzkova received byes into the second round as top seeds.

In Acapulco, the ATP 500 Abierto Mexicano Telcel features 2021 champion Alexander Zverev as the top seed. Two-time champion Alex de Minaur is seeded second, while 2024 runner-up Casper Ruud is the third seed. Frances Tiafoe, Cameron Norrie, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Flavio Cobolli, and Valentin Vacherot are also seeded. Sebastian Korda and Brandon Nakashima are competing as well.

The violence has already affected other sports in Mexico. Reports state that the Mexican soccer federation postponed four matches, including a women’s match between Chivas Guadalajara and Club America.

For now, the ATP and WTA have not announced any changes to their schedules. Players remain in Acapulco and Merida as planned, with the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells set to begin in March.

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