Vienna tournament director Straka: “We want and have to continue to grow”

The 50th edition of the traditional Viennese tennis tournament is history, 22-year-old Briton Jack Draper is the newly crowned champion after a 6:4, 7:5 victory over Karen Khachanow (Rus), richer by 461,920 euros gross and for the first time in his career ranked 15th in the top 15 in the world.

Planning for 2025 is already well underway. With good news: Main and title sponsor Erste Bank has extended its contract by three years. “We want and have to continue to grow,” emphasized tournament director Herwig Straka, who had around 5,000 more fans this year thanks to the farewell event for Dominic Thiem on Sunday a week ago. The visitor record is now 78,000.

“The hall is full of people, so of course my heart beats faster,” said Straka: “Dominic Thiem’s farewell was fitting, now we’re looking at a future without him – and it’s bright. Because we no longer have this dependence on national players “, explained the 58-year-old from Graz, who would like to guide the world number one Jannik Sinner (Ita) again in 2025 – he triumphed in 2023 – into the town hall.

There is already a verbal commitment. Of course, this will no longer apply if the South Tyrolean is banned for doping. That cannot be ruled out.

Regardless of this, the tournament has its limits: when it comes to spectator numbers and the VIP area, Vienna is at the limit. The new arena in St. Marx, which has been announced for years, is still a long time coming.

“It’s a tough story. We are subject to public procurement law, the mechanisms are adventurous from the outside. Those who lose out in the competition sometimes take advantage of this all the way to the Supreme Court,” reported Vienna City Councilor for Sports Peter Hacker (SPÖ). Objection is therefore synonymous with delay. Nobody currently dares to guarantee that the opening will take place in 2029.

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