A day that costs up to 15,000 pesos, but that stays in the mind forever. This is how fans evaluate their presence in the WTA Finals in Guadalajara 2021, the tennis event that brought together the eight best singles and doubles players in the world in Mexico for the first time. The appointment coincided with the holiday “bridge” for the Day of the Revolution, which took place between November 12 and 15, allowing foreign spectators to meet at least one of the total seven days of the tournament.
“Each family can decide what to invest, there will be those who come and buy everything and others who just come to enjoy the games they paid for. This is very well organized, they are events that give global prominence to our country, project it worldwide, denying this type of event and closing the doors to foreign investment is a setback, this has to continue evolving “, mentioned the members of the Valencia family, originally from Guadalajara and who attended with a total of five people on Saturday and Sunday of the WTA Finals.
Girls and boys pay tickets equally. The family’s investment amounted to just over 10,000 pesos, an amount that other fans from other entities also paid, who assured this newspaper that they did not get into debt to attend and that it is rather an experience that they would pay again for its quality. unique.
“We come from Guanajuato, we could only catch today (Sunday), otherwise, if we had attended two or three days of the tournament. In total we are four, my wife and our two children. Already with tickets, lodging, booths and gasoline, the expense was between 12,000 and 15,000 pesos, but in the end it is worth it, everyone where they like is where they invest, in the end it was worth it and yes, I would return ”, said Jair Liñán, father of a family originally from Salamanca, Guanajuato.
For Saúl, another father of the family (three members), this figure was not an expense, but an investment: “With a hotel and everything we have invested between 10,000 and 15,000 pesos. It is an investment because we like this sport, my daughter plays it too, I am not in debt at all, we adjust our finances according to our possibilities and we indulge ourselves ”.
According to the governor of Jalisco, Enrique Alfaro, the expectation of economic spill through the WTA Finals It is 450 million dollars, although it should be noted that this data comes from the last precedent of the tournament in China in 2019, with 100% capacity, while in Guadalajara it is celebrated with 70% due to the still permanent restrictions due to the pandemic.
Another example of the mobility generated by the event was a group of friends interviewed by this newspaper, who traveled from Xalapa, Monterrey and Mexico City just to be present for the seven days of the tournament; Young people between 28 and 29 years old did have their economy affected, but they assure that it is an unrepeatable opportunity and that it is totally worth it.
“It was not a small expense, it did affect me, replacing it will cost me a bit, but it is very worth it because it is an event that will probably never be repeated in Mexico. The protocols are fine, well with the masks, gels, the inspection at the entrance to detect objects that are not allowed. It is a super event, it is an investment and effort, but it is well worth it, Karolina Pliskova is my favorite and for me this experience was already worth it because I was able to talk to her and take a picture with her ”, Fabiola outlines with a smile, young man from Xalapa, Veracruz, 796 kilometers away from Guadalajara.
Pliskova, Aryna Sabalenka and Giuliana Olmos were some of the tennis players who stopped for a few minutes among the fans to distribute autographs and selfies during the day on Sunday, causing the children to run after them to greet them.
“I think that this type of event could help the tennis tournaments that already exist in Mexico, such as the one in Monterrey or even the one in Zapopan (both at WTA 250 level), to upgrade, because the players have commented that they they feel comfortable and I think it is an important point to take into account, in addition to saying that they feel very loved by the Mexican public ”, adds the young Veracruz fan.
From the point of view of the father of a family, the presence of WTA Finals It should be a watershed in strengthening the presence of tennis in the country and continuing to attract more child talent.
“They are opportunities for girls to become more interested in continuing to practice in local tournaments. This is the way to draw more people to sport, which is a very beautiful sport and is practiced little here in Mexico, we would like it to be more popular and accessible, but there is not the amount of spaces that are needed as in other countries. Mexico is just in the evolution to get there with this type of event, so that in a few years the country can have the best players in the world. There is a lack of diffusion and financial support ”, commented a member of the Valencia family, whose three daughters play tennis.
It should be noted that the average price of a ticket for the Guadalajara WTA Finals It is 1,695 pesos, including two days of singles matches and two more doubles from the beginning on Wednesday, November 10, until the end of the group round on Monday, November 15.
The event also features various activations by brands such as Akron, Tucané and Wilson, as well as live music and figures allusive to tennis to take pictures, in addition to the ingredient of seeing the stars in outdoor training.
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Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx