About the Mexican Tennis Team
A few days ago, the Mexican Tennis Federation announced the team that would compete in the series against Chinese Taipei, and surprisingly the top player is Cesar Ramirez, a tennis player ranked 1220 in the ATP ranking. However, today the players who constantly participated in the series, such as Santiago Gonzalez, have stated that they did not have the appropriate conditions to represent Mexico.
"After a difficult deliberation for us and several attempts to dialogue with the Mexican Tennis Federation in search of the best performance of the representative team and the FMT itself, no positive conclusion has been reached. Therefore, we have decided not to participate in the upcoming series against the Chinese Taipei team on February 4th and 5th in Metepec. The lack of communication, no planning with the team, and lack of interest in seeking the best playing conditions demonstrate that the situation has not been handled correctly and personal interests have taken priority over sports," the tennis players' statement says.
The tennis players who signed the statement are: Santiago Gonzalez, Ernesto Escobedo, Hans Hach Verdugo, Alejandro Hernandez Serrano, Gerardo Lopez Villasenor, Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela, and Manual Sanchez Montemayor.
"The International Tennis Federation (ITF) seeks as a priority that the selections representing the Davis Cup are with the best possible players, as well as meeting optimal standards for the largest team competition in the world. It is sad that the Mexican Tennis Federation does not have the minimum standards in treatment and planning with the best national representatives. The ITF is aware of our reasons for not participating in this series," the statement mentions.
As a result, the federation had to call up young players who are making the transition to professionalism, and they are: Luciano Alcocer, Arturo Arevalo, and Armando Sotelo, with Miguel Angel Gallardo as the captain.
Last March, the national team advanced by walkover against Belarus in the World Group I, which gave them the right to face Bosnia & Herzegovina in September, a match they lost away 1-3. Now, Mexico has to host Chinese Taipei at the La Asuncion Sports Club in Metepec, State of Mexico.
