Big dreams
Top tennis in Styria? “We can do that too!”
Game, set and match in Bad Waltersdorf! The grandstands on Center Court were already packed for the doubles final of the ATP 125 Challenger with a capacity of 1,500 fans, and there were many more for the two semi-finals. The grand final will follow on Sunday at 1 pm. But what will happen next in Bad Waltersdorf? The ideas and dreams are certainly big.
Thanks to the (won) Davis Cup international match against Turkey, which the organizers were able to whip through despite the wind and weather, and the subsequent 125 Challenger tournament, Bad Waltersdorf has become a hotspot for Austrian tennis over the last two weeks. Top-class matches, top conditions - all this makes players want more.
For the organizers too? The dream of one day seeing an ATP 250 tournament in Vulkanland is alive in some of them. "The prospects are very promising. We are in the second year of the ATP 125 Challenger and have a three-year contract with the ATP. The date is ideal and you can tell that the players like coming here because they feel well looked after. I think that if we want to and get enough support from sponsors, we can achieve our goal of becoming an ATP 250 tournament. Styria doesn't have to hide - what Kitzbühel can do, we can do here too. The province of Styria and the municipality of Bad Waltersdorf are fully behind this tennis tournament, which would not be possible without their financial support," said Styrian Association President Barbara Muhr.
Praise from the legend
Tennis legend Gilbert Schaller also took a look at the tournament. The former world number 17, who looks after Davis-Cupper Rodionov and Styrian top talent Sebastian Sorger in Vienna, enjoyed the trip home. "The tournament was very, very strong!" praised Gili.
OC boss Sascha Freitag knows "that we were not much worse off than the last 250 tournament in Kitzbühel. Upgrading to ATP 250 does have a licensing issue because tournaments tend to be merged. But ideas are there. For now, we want to keep developing in such a way that better and better players will automatically come."
Bad Waltersdorf Trophy
Sunday: Final (from 1 pm): T. Seyboth Wild (Bra) - Jaume Munar (Spa). Live on ORF Sport + and streamed on www.oetv.tv from 12.55 pm. From 10 a.m. morning pint with live music in the Public Lounge, admission is free!
Doubles winner: Nouza/Rikl (Cze) - Andreozzi/Balaji (Arg/Ind) 6:4, 4:6, 10:5.
"That leaves its mark on you"
The Challenger ends on Sunday with the final between Thiago Seyboth Wild from Brazil and Jaume Munar from Spain - a former number 58 against an ex-ATP number 52. A top duel. Muhr explains why such matches are so important at a tournament like this. "This direct contact with idols is particularly valuable for young people. They need role models, and here they can experience top tennis players up close. Like our 50 Styrian ball kids, for example. This week is a paradise for them. I still remember as a child being allowed to throw balls to tennis stars like Ilie Năstase, a former world number 1 in the 1970s - that leaves its mark on you."
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