Moutet withdrawal adds to ongoing chaos as Napoli Open fails to hit expected standards
The Napoli Open has been beset by problems from before it even began
Corentin Moutet, screenshots from his abandonnement at Napoli 2022 | © Tennis TV / Tennis Point
It was meant to be a celebration for Napoli, the first time in the tournament’s 21-year history that it had been officially made part of the ATP Tour, having been played as part of the Challenger Tour until this year.
But the withdrawal of Frenchman Corentin Moutet on Thursday, who quit when trailing 5-3 to Miomir Kecmanovic, complaining that the courts were too slippery, has added to the feeling of chaos.
“I’ve been waiting to play all day, I want to play,” Moutet told the umpire during what turned out to be the last game of the match. “But it’s too dangerous. I can break my leg on every point.”
Naples, of course, is a colourful city, but organisers would have hoped to put on a show in its first year as an ATP 250.
Instead, it’s been chaotic from the start. First, retiring Italian Andreas Seppi was refused a wildcard because organisers felt it was a “waste”. Then qualifying was moved to a different venue as the courts were relaid but it did not help.
The main draw was postponed but on Wednesday, matches were cancelled before the scheduled end, again because of court conditions, leaving fans yelling for tickets to be refunded.
Moutet was never comfortable from the start of his match with Kecmanovic and he called it a day at 5-3 down, to whistles from the fans.
The second-round match between Fabio Fognini and Pablo Carreño Busta was also postponed after just three games due to court conditions.
The tournament was upgraded to take the place of some events in China that could not be played this year. It’s hard to see it remaining on the calendar in 2023.
