Top tennis stars told to remain in hotel at Acapulco Open due to alarming rates of violent organised crime including Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune and Stefanos Tsitsipas

Players competing at next week's Acapulco Open have been "strongly recommended" to limit their movements around the area due to crime levels in the city as well as infrastructure damage caused at the end of last year.

Stars such as Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune and Stefanos Tsitsipas as well as Tour staff and officials were told in an email that they should only spend their time around the tournament hotel and the venue where the matches will be held. They were also advised to only use tournament vehicles for transport.

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Organisers seek to reassure fans

There were already concerns about the Acapulco potentially not being able to go ahead after the damage the city sustained during Hurricane Otis in October, but in a statement to British newspaper I, the organisers said: “Since Tuesday, we have been receiving players in Acapulco, and they have already had the opportunity to train at the venue.”

The ATP 500 event has a prize fund of more than $2m (£1.58m) and will see the likes of Alex de Minaur - a recent finalist in Rotterdam - compete as well as American Taylor Fritz, who recently won the Delray Beach Open.