Experience setting up a hard court in Bogotá considering that the tournament in Viña del Mar was usually played on clay?
It's a very interesting process. The courts were transformed from clay to hard court three years ago and it's a complex job. It includes the conditioning of the ground, making sure the asphalt layers are free of imperfections, and then the application of different layers of resins to obtain courts of excellent quality.
What special considerations need to be taken into account for a high-altitude court?
The big difference lies in the resins, which were specifically made for Bogotá.
What do you mean?
We hired a very prestigious Spanish company specifically for this. The secret lies in the paint, which was specially designed to reduce the effect of altitude, with ingredients that slow down the bounce of the ball. Combined with the fact that the ball is manufactured in a special way to play at 2,500 meters above sea level, it results in the players feeling very comfortable.
How do you see the tournament for its third edition?
Better every time. We make a great effort to improve ourselves each year and to enhance the details from previous editions. The multidisciplinary team I belong to has been working on this new edition for a year now.
What have the players said about the tournament? I imagine that some of them are bothered by the conditions and struggle to adjust. I remember that in 1995, Dutch player Richard Krajicek couldn't calibrate his shots and was hitting all the balls outside the stadium.
We haven't had any negative comments. On the contrary, we have received congratulations not only from the players but also from the ATP, who have given us very good ratings in different areas. Most of the players have returned due to the great reception they receive. For example, Ivo Karlovic is coming back after winning in 2013 and being a finalist in 2014. Others who are repeating are Vasek Pospisil, Bernard Tomic, Radek Stepanek, Victor Estrella, among others. Colombians are very kind and friendly, something that the players appreciate and have mentioned to me.
How did you feel when you found out that the Viña del Mar tournament was canceled?
Sadness and concern. Sad because I'm from Viña del Mar and they took the tournament out of my backyard. I was only 10 minutes away. And concerned because it will be difficult to have a tournament of that level again. I don't know if it was given the real value it deserves. After working in the 21 editions of that tournament, as a chair umpire, referee, and technical production manager, I was called from Quito and I am now working with the tournament there. The first edition took place last February and it was a success.