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Matteo Berrettini US Open ATP 2022

Mayhem at ATP Napoli Cup with defective courts, hotel fiasco and schedule woes


Fair to say the ATP 250 Napoli Cup has been far from a roaring success so far after the event has suffered multiple glaring setbacks and PR problems.

The Naples event is normally a Challenger tournament played on clay. However, it was given a single-year ATP 250 licence in 2022 as one of a number of events chosen to replace the Covid-cancelled Chinese swing.

While the previous week’s Firenze Open in Florence garnered praise from players and fans alike, the same cannot be said for Naples. First, during qualification, numerous players complained about the subpar condition of the court surface. As a result, qualification was moved to elsewhere in the city while organiser took to resurfacing the courts.

Once the main draw eventually got underway a day late on Tuesday, problems continued. First, doubles player Nicolás Barrientos took to Twitter to blast the event when he found his belongings strewn outside his hotel room after losing his opening match.

On court, home talent Luca Nardi and French maverick Courentin Moutet took to play late on on Tuesday. Both players complained that the surface was too damp. Spray covered the court thanks to its proximity to the sea.

As a result, the match was called off at 2-2 in the opening set, further delaying an already heavy schedule. 2021 Wimbledon finalist and second seed Matteo Berrettini is set to play his first match at the event on Thursday.

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