ÖTV sports director Jürgen Melzer will take over from Stefan Koubek, the local tennis association announced on Thursday. Koubek has headed the team around top star Dominic Thiem since 2015. The 44-year-old from Carinthia should stay with the team as an assistant trainer should it reach the final tournament in 2022. In the play-off, the Austrians will compete in South Korea on March 4th and 5th.
Jürgen Melzer is the Austrian record holder with 38 drafts and 78 Davis Cup appearances. “It’s just his competition. There is no other person in this country who embodies and lives the Davis Cup so much. That’s why we hope that he will pass this spirit on to the team,” said ÖTV President Magnus Brunner. Austria’s new finance minister also thanked Koubek for having “always carried out his work as captain with full commitment and passion”.
Melzer confirmed that the Davis Cup had always been an affair of the heart for him. “There is nothing greater than representing your country. Now that I can no longer do that as a player, it is an absolute honor to lead the team as captain. I am sure that my enthusiasm for this competition will create a positive atmosphere “, said the 38-year-old from Lower Austria, who finally ended his active career this year.
Koubek wants to stay on board
The new captain is pleased that Koubek wants to stay with the team. “With his know-how, we will be able to achieve a great deal together,” said Melzer. Koubek took over the ÖTV team from Clemens Trimmel in 2015. The latest highlight was the first-time participation in the final tournament, in which they lost to Serbia and Germany in Innsbruck in November without Thiem.
The qualification was made possible by a success against Uruguay in March 2020, which was also ensured without Thiem. With the figurehead on board, they defeated Australia, among others, in Graz in 2018 and thus acted in the world group. “Although I knew it was going to end, it’s a shame for me, especially after such a Davis Cup without an audience in Innsbruck,” said Koubek. According to his own statements, the outgoing captain is pleased “to be able to give full throttle again as the team’s co-coach after a little gap”.
Koubek did “an excellent job as the Davis Cup captain”, emphasized ÖTV Vice President Georg Blumauer. The appointment of Jürgen Melzer as captain is “the logical consequence of his function as responsible for all sporting matters of the ÖTV”. The former world number eighth has held this position since the beginning of this year. Blumauer: “ÖTV is in the fortunate position of promoting the development of tennis with some of the best players the country has had.”
Source: Nachrichten
