Maria Sharapova to Play Mexican Tennis Open

Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova will participate in the Mexican Tennis Open, which will be held next February in the internationally known touristic Pacific beach city Acapulco, organizers of the event said this Thursday.

"Our work pays off again. Today I can announce that Maria Sharapova and Grigor Dimitrov will join us next year as top seeds in Acapulco,” said Raul Zurutuza during a press conference, in Mexico City.

The tournament will also feature other stars such as the Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, Spanish David Ferrer and Japanese Kei Nishikori.

All of them but Del Potro are among the best 10 players in the world. Sharapova, current Roland Garros champion, is ranked as number four.

The event has an enormous disparity in prizes that could be considered gender biased, because the male champion will be awarded US$300,000 and 500 points for the ATP ranking, while the female winner will only receive US$37,000 and 280 points for their ranking in the WTA.