Top tennis in Upper Austria – a combination that fits! After the successful premiere of the ATP 100 Challenger in Mauthausen 2022, the euphoria among local tennis fans before the start of the second edition of the Danube Upper Austria Open powered by SKE – the draw will take place on Saturday evening – is already fully ignited. Except for a few remaining tickets, the tournament week is already sold out. While Dominic Thiem is already fully focused on his first appearance, Gaël Monfils had to cancel his participation at short notice.
It was the ultimate surprise when tournament director Florian Leitgeb (Champ Events) let the cat out of the bag a few weeks ago and announced Dominic Thiem’s participation. Now the time has come and the 29-year-old, who has recently been able to regain his former form, is returning to Austria and will be appearing at the Danube Upper Austria Open powered by SKE next week – certainly not a matter of course. “The last performance in Madrid was very good, even if I would have preferred to win, of course. It really annoyed me after the match, but I’m still proud that things are looking up again. Now it’s time to continue training consistently and attack fully next week in Mauthausen,” explained Thiem, adding: “Home tournaments are always very important to me and have a high priority. It’s good not to have to travel so far for once. We’re on the road so much all year round, so I enjoy every minute at home and I’m happy that I can finally play in Austria again.” While the 2020 US Open champion is already fully focused on his first game, he had to the Frenchman Gael Monfils, who is slightly injured, withdraw his entry at short notice.
Like last year, the ATP 100 Challenger in Mauthausen will take place immediately before the qualification for the French Open and will certainly be a trend-setting position determination for one or the other player. For Thiem from Lower Austria, who wants to continue collecting many ATP points, it is also an important building block with regard to the second major tournament of the year. “Since I’m playing better again now, I naturally have high expectations. There will be a lot of strong opponents in Mauthausen – I have to give everything in every game. The coming week is also extremely important with regard to the French Open. I need a lot of match practice. Even though the performance was good in Madrid, I only had two matches. Now it’s time to get multiple games in a row. I’m looking forward to that!” said Thiem.
Almost all wildcards awarded – ÖTV sextet in the main competition
For the main competition, the two red-white-red aces Lukas Neumayer and Sandro Kopp were given a wild card. The wild card that was intended for Monfils will be reassigned until the draw on Saturday evening. Three of the four qualifying wildcards also go to Austria. In addition to young ÖTV star Joel Schwärzler, Neil Oberleitner and David Pichler can also show off their skills. The fourth ticket goes to the Swiss Jerome Kym, who has been working with Austria’s former professional Markus Hipfl for some time.
In addition to Thiem, Dennis Novak, Sebastian Ofner and Filip Misolic, who recently celebrated his second title at ATP Challenger level in Roseto degli Abruzzi (Italy) after a true final thriller, will serve in the main competition of the Danube Upper Austria Open powered by SKE. In addition, with Neumayer and Kopp, there are two other players with a wildcard, so there are a total of six Austrians in the 32 main grid.
After a long break from injury, including an operation almost twelve weeks ago, Novak is returning to tournament action: “After the operation, I trained very quickly in the weights room and was back on the pitch quickly, but I still played from a standing start. We then continuously increased the scope and intensity. I’ve been able to play fully again for almost ten days. Physically, I’m in very good shape, as far as tennis is concerned, I obviously still have a lot of catching up to do. So my expectations are not that high compared to last year. I want to take every match and every set to get back to the level before the injury.”
ATP Challenger in Mauthausen almost sold out
The anticipation can be felt among the local tennis fans, they are tingling and the run for the tickets has picked up speed. From Wednesday, May 10th, to the final day on Sunday, May 14th, all tickets are already completely sold out. There are only a few remaining tickets for the games on Tuesday, May 9th. Subject to availability, these can be purchased either at the oeticket advance booking offices, online at www.oeticket.com or during the tournament in the Danubis tennis center on site for cash. “The fans will certainly be incredible again in Mauthausen and will ensure a good atmosphere. The support that I get, especially in Austria, is very important to me and gives me a lot of energy,” said Thiem.
Davis Cup teammate Novak took the same line: “It’s always nice to play in Austria and we’re glad that there are now a few tournaments at this level in our home country. Of course we always like to play there. Last year’s premiere in Mauthausen went really well, so I’m happy that there’s such a great response from the fans. That’s not only great for the organizers, but also for us players. I’m looking forward to the tournament week.”
Everything is set for another exciting tennis week in Upper Austria. Numerous spectacular rallies, emotions, entertainment and a lot of excitement will grab visitors in 2023, inspire them and tear them off their chairs. Promised! All information about the Danube Upper Austria Open powered by SKE is available at www.danube-ooe-open.at.
Click here for the oetv.tv interview with tournament director Florian Leitgeb before the start of the tournament.
2023-05-05 13:31:28
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