“This is the last straw!” Frustrations boil over in Naples amid “poor planning and organization”

WATCH: A world away in Florence, Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated JJ Wolf in the ATP 250 final.

After being postponed and nearly boycotted by players due to multiple issues with its playing surface, the woes have only continued for the troubled Tennis Napoli Cup.

With just five main draw matches completed on a delayed Day 1, first-round play at the ATP 250 was suspended as the main court once again came under fire on Tuesday.

But even off the court, frustrations are boiling over for players amid “poor planning and organization”—with Colombian doubles player Nicolás Barrientos taking to social media to call out tournament organizers and the ATP Tour to take responsibility.

“This is the last straw!” he wrote, along with a video that showed piles of his belongings and equipment on the floor. “How can this happen in an ATP 250? Not even in a Challenger had it ever happened to me…”

In a Twitter thread, Barrientos revealed that he had been on court competing in doubles with partner Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela, when he was informed via email that he would have to change hotels for the second time that week.

By the time the Colombian returned to the hotel, roughly an hour later, he reportedly found that his and his wife’s belongings had been removed from the room, “packed poorly” and dumped in the lobby.

“I think I don’t even need to mention the situation with the courts that everyone already knows,” Barrientos added, “And that the qualies and first round in doubles were played at a club 40 minutes away from the tournament site.”

Barrientos and partner Reyes-Varela were among the players who had to complete their matches at the Tennis Club Pozzuoli while organizers scrambled to replace the original courts.

“I think all tournaments have some issues that are solved along the way. But none of this is accidental,” he continued. “The poor organization and planning of this tournament has made it impossible to deal with every problem that emerges each day.”

For the Napoli tournament, the problems emerged long before main draw action finally kicked off a day late on Tuesday.

Less than a month before play was set to begin, Italian press reported that organizers were racing against the clock to set up the courts due to heavy rain. And days before kick-off, players were already sounding the alarm about the poor playing conditions, with photos circulating on social media showing cracks and fractures along its surface.

In a statement, organizers blamed “the construction of the courts by a company [Mapei], leader in the sector in the world” and said the issue was “independent of the organization.”

With players threatening to pull out of the event unless the issue was addressed, tournament organizers relocated early matches to Pozzuoli before completely removing the center court and laying down a new playing surface.

The venerable Tennis Club Napoli 1905 is normally host to red clay courts, and boasts a stunning stadium that overlooks the Gulf of Naples. But as an outdoor hard-court event with a temporary surface laid by Italian chemical manufacturing company Mapei, the location of the courts has also been working against the tournament’s favor.

When main draw action finally began on center court, play was suspended during Corentin Moutet and Luca Nardi’s first-round match, 2-2. After multiple players including No. 7 seed Albert Ramos Viñolas and Moutet raised issues with the umpire, the day was eventually called off as the court was "too wet" due to sea air.

Now, organizers must scramble once again to set up a second viable playing surface at Tennis Club Napoli 1905—while facing the daunting prospect of completing first and second-round play on schedule. As of Wednesday, doubles matches will continue to be played in Pozzuoli.

The tournament is organized by Cosimo Napolitano, who also runs ATP events in Forli and Turin, and the Italian Tennis Federation. Along with Florence, the event is operating on a single-year license to replace cancelled tournaments in China.