Russian Marat Safin and Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero, two of the hottest players on the circuit, have confirmed they will make their debuts in this year's Salem Open and gave the thumbs-up to a change of schedule which means players will not have to compete in the searing heat of September.
Organisers have decided to stage the earliest matches at 5pm, rather than 2pm as before. US Open champion Safin and French Open semi-finalist Ferrero backed the move, although they are both used to hot weather in Spain - Safin was born in Moscow but nurtured his skills in Spain during his teens.
'It'll be good for me because I'm from Moscow but not Spain. I prefer to play at night. It's perfect weather for me,' Safin said from Gstaad where he suffered a first-round defeat at the Swiss Open.
Ferrero, who has reached the Swiss Open quarter-finals, said: 'Yes, it will be better for players to play in the evening. But I'm used to the heat as the temperature is sometimes higher than 40 degrees in Spain.'
Tournament director Lincoln Venancio explained: 'We decided to start matches later because it's too hot for the players to play in the afternoon in September in Hong Kong, although they didn't complain about it last year. It's also tough for the fans,' said Venancio. He said the men's singles final would start at 7pm rather than in the afternoon as before.
The star duo's form in the first half of the year has been in stark contrast, with clay-courter Ferrero having also racked up four ATP titles in Dubai, Barcelona, Estoril and Rome, while Safin, who enjoyed a great season last year when he finished as world number two to Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten, has been winless this year.
