ÖTV sports director Jurgen Melzer gave an overview of the current sensitivities in Austrian tennis at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel.
by Jens Huiber
last edited: 08/06/2023, 10:13 am
© GEPA Pictures
Jürgen Melzer during his visit to Kitzbühel
By Jens Huiber from Kitzbühel
How much Jürgen Melzer still burns for tennis (especially internally) could be seen on Thursday evening in Kitzbühel. So there the Austrian legend stood in the outside studio of ServusTV, in a loose T-shirt and a loose jacket, which was not a matter of course in view of the demanding outside temperatures. In any case, blankets were being passed around Melzer, and a few winter coats could also be seen.
As is so often the case, Melzer had several hats on during the week in Kitzbühel, starting with that as coach of Joel Schwärzler, who had received a wildcard for the qualification from the organizers. You could say that, after all, the Austrian Tennis Association has none to award. Jürgen Melzer was happy to accept that, but he currently sees his protégé as fundamentally anchored on the future level. And of course as a junior in the Grand Slam tournaments, the start at the US Open is firmly planned.
In the Davis Cup, Melzer can also count on Thiem
Melzer, in turn, told this in a small group on Thursday shortly before Dominic Thiem’s match against Arthur Rinderknech. And thus already in his function as sports director of the ÖTV. And as its Davis Cup captain. The latter is a reasonably comfortable task right now: all eligible players are willing to play for Austria against Portugal in Schwechat. So Melzer has the choice between the best of the season Sebastian Ofner, Dominic Thiem who has regained his strength or Jurij Rodionov, who is about to make it into the top 100. Not to forget Filip Misolic and Dennis Novak, who can always play one level higher in the national jersey than on the ATP tour.
And you don’t have to worry about the offspring either. In almost every year there is at least one girl or boy with good prospects. The fact that other associations can fall back on a broader pool is also and above all a financial question. In the Czech Republic, for example, five times as many funds are available as in Austria. For a man like Jürgen Melzer, this is no reason to brood, but rather more of an incentive.
Don’t miss any news!
Activate the notifications:
Thiem Dominic Ofner Sebastian
2023-08-06 16:30:00
#Jürgen #Melzer #hats #luxury #problem #tennisnet.com
