The second edition of the Los Cabos Open exceeded the goal of the more than 12,300 people who attended the previous year; according to the tournament director, José Antonio Fernández, the key was in the ratings and in the first days of the tournament, where there were more people than expected.

This time, the organization made an effort to detect the origins of the audience that watched the tennis tournament.

"We have a significant influx from the northern part of the country, from La Paz, Tijuana, Sinaloa, Monterrey, Culiacán, and Los Mochis. It is people who have visited us a lot, and also, unlike last year, the mix of tourism from the United States and Canada has grown considerably," he explained at a press conference.

The director reiterated that the intention is to transform the event in Baja California Sur, which is currently a 250 tournament, into an ATP 500 tournament, like the one in Acapulco that takes place in February.

"Since we acquired the franchise, our short-term goal has been to position ourselves as one of the best tournaments in the 250 category. We are on the right track, and in the medium term, we want to make the leap and have that 500 status. We must do things right, have a zero margin of error in all areas, and work with those involved. The bet is there, and our goal is that."

Fernández mentioned that an important factor in maintaining the development of the tournament, which last year coincided with the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, is the good relationship with the tennis players, who are the ones in charge of sharing their experiences with the rest of the Tour.

"They are thrilled, happy with the destination, the facilities, the hotel, and the treatment of the people. After the first edition, we had a meeting in New York and (Spanish player) David Ferrer stopped us and congratulated us because he had heard wonderful comments about the tournament. We saw Rafael Nadal two days later, and he also congratulated us. The best ambassadors we can have are the players themselves who live the tournaments and communicate among themselves."

Regarding the areas for improvement, the director pointed out that there are several areas in which they have to work because even in the Acapulco tournament, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2018, they correct situations in each edition.

"Every year, we learn and from now on we are already looking at what to improve for 2018, in terms of commercial area, systems, etc. In Acapulco, we always see what we did wrong or what we lacked. This time, some things worked well, and there are others that we can do better. Last year was a very good event, now we have improved it, and in 2018 the obligation will be to be above this."

"The new generation is a banner of the tournament and we are convinced that these players are the present of tennis"

José Antonio Fernández

Director of the Los Cabos Open