A wave of attacks on taxis near the tournament site in Acapulco, Mexico this past weekend has left 12 people dead, Mexican police said.
While organizers have said that the Mexican government has assured them of adequate security measures at the tournament, there is little they can do to control of the violence outside of the Fairmont Princess resort, where the event is being held.
Some taxi drivers have been victims of extortion or recruited to transport drugs between rival gangs, who have been violently vying for control of drug trafficking in Acapulco. One of the taxi drivers was beheaded.
The ATP said that it had sent out safety advisories to its players, and TENNIS.com has learned that the WTA did too, for both the tournament in Acapulco and the one that begins next week in Monterrey, Mexico.
"The WTA conducted an independent security assessment of our events in Acapulco and Monterrey and based upon this assessment, we are confident that both tournaments have in place the necessary security measures in order to safely stage their tournaments for players, fans and other attendees," said WTA spokesman Andrew Walker, who confirmed that the tour did send out notifications to its players.
Players have been warned to stay around the Acapulco tournament site and to leave the city quickly after they lose.
While tournament director Raul Zurutuza said that the tournament is concerned with the violence, he said that he was upset about the leak of the ATP letter to the players and called the WTA warning "over-exaggerated. We’re concerned about the violence but we’re expecting a great week of tennis."
David Nalbandian pulled out the tournament party because of an injury and also due to security concerns, Both David Ferrer and Carla Suarez-Navarro have said they feel safe
Zurutuza said the tournament has sold 85 percent of its tickets.—Matthew Cronin