Salzburg Open
A lot of praise outshines a little sadness
Switzerland's Alexander Ritschard won the Sparkasse Salzburg Open 2024. The organizers had a very good result and received a lot of positive feedback from the players. Lukas Neumayer's quarter-final exit was felt in the stands.
A week of top tennis, excitement and emotion at the ATP 125 Challenger tournament in the Volksgarten came to an end on Sunday. The Sparkasse Salzburg Open 2024 is in the history books. "You always wait a long time for it to start and then it's over after a week. That makes you a bit sad," says organizer Günter Schwarzl and sums up positively: "It was a great week. The players are also extremely satisfied. We get ratings and there is currently only one Challenger in the world that is rated better than ours." Talks with the ATP are due to begin in the next three to four weeks. Salzburg is hoping for a 175-ranked tournament, as players ranked eleven or higher in the world are also allowed to enter. At the current 125 tournament, only players ranked 50 and above are allowed to enter. Higher ranked players can only come with a wildcard.
The finalists Alexander Ritschard and Kyrian Jacquet were full of praise, saying in unison: "The tournament is very good. The people make it special."
The only downer from the organizer's point of view: after Lukas Neumayer's elimination in the quarter-finals, there were no more Austrians represented. "Luki is extremely popular, you can tell from the sales figures. He's a likeable, good tennis player and naturally brings a lot of spectators with him from his home town of Radstadt," says Schwarzl. Last year, 1500 more tickets were sold.
Arm about to be amputated
Just Neumayer's conqueror Jacquet reached the final, but lost to Ritschard 4:6, 2:6. "I'm very happy with the week and sad about the final. It was my first time in Salzburg. The people here are very pleasant," said the runner-up.
Eight years ago, the winner's career was still on the brink due to a blocked artery in his shoulder and the Swiss athlete's arm almost had to be amputated. However, the 30-year-old fought his way back, celebrated his third Challenger title and will reach a new career high (ATP ranking 137) on Monday. He will play in Kitzbühel in a week's time. There, the Zurich native can once again enjoy his highlight from Salzburg: "The Wiener Schnitzel."
At the award ceremony, he did not miss the opportunity to thank his girlfriend Kat. "I love you, baby," said the likeable Swiss into the microphone.
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