Challenger Marbella: Interview with Tournament Director Florian Leitgeb - "I'm doing all this in honor of my father"
After the unexpected death of his father Ronald, Florian Leitgeb stepped in as tournament director in Marbella. In an interview with tennisnet.com, the event manager talks about his father's legacy, Dominic Thiem 's commitment and challenges in women's tennis.
by Nikolaus Fink from Marbella
last edit: Mar 29, 2022, 07:50 am
Mr. Leitgeb, it has been known since Thursday that Dominic Thiem will start in Marbella. How have the past few days since this announcement been for you?
I have to backtrack a bit. I started more or less from scratch three weeks ago. There were just a few emails and the odd contract I found. I traveled here as quickly as possible and only then did I meet my team. The team consists of four to five people and I have not known anyone before - apart from a few phone calls. To make matters worse, we have a combined event here. When I was on the site, I saw Domi and got into conversation with him. He has said he needs a few matches and is considering playing here. I then gave him more or less until the draw because I wanted to wait with the wildcard anyway to see what happens in Miami. I then got a call from him and the phones have been ringing since then. All are happy. For the sponsors this is of course a dream. Wawrinka has been in conversation for a long time. The bottom line is that we now have four Grand Slams at the Challenger in Marbella.
How did the communication with Stan Wawrinka go?
The arrangements with him began between Christmas and the New Year. From then on you noticed that the Wawrinka team was interested. In that case it was a relatively lengthy process, because of course there are many demands for him to play here. One must never forget that it is not so easy for players like Thiem and Wawrinka to play a challenger. From the head alone. If you're a talented player like those two, you won't be playing challengers by the time you're 17 or 18. You're on a different level there. Then, in terms of self-esteem and motivation, getting yourself to take that step backwards is extremely difficult mentally. Many players try to regain this self-esteem through wishes. I am thinking, for example, of living in a villa. That didn't happen at all with Dominic - quite the opposite. He is very grateful that he gets the chance to play here. He did not make excessive demands and even wanted to stay in the official hotel. Then I said I didn't want that. Because Dominic is the star of the tournament and that's how you have to treat stars. But he was never looking down and never asked for special requests.
What does it mean to you that two of the scene's top stars are here?
For me one would have been incredible. We also have the ATP 250 tournament in Lyon, but I come from the challengers. I did the Challenger tournament in Tulln last year and will do it again this year. In May there will also be a Challenger in Mauthausen. It is unthinkable that someone from this category would play there. It says a lot about how much the players were moved by what my dad built here. Last year he even brought a 250cc tournament to Marbella. There's a reason players come here.
Every tennis fan in Austria knows how my father approached things.
Florian Leitgeb on his father's attitude to work.
Are there any efforts to acquire a 250 license again?
To be honest, I haven't given a second thought to what's going to happen here after the tournament. This is technically not possible. We all get up in the morning and work late into the night for the next day. Now the train is halfway rolling anyway, but it was a big task until it started rolling.
What are the additional challenges of having a Combined Event in Marbella?
The main point is that we need an incredible number of seats. Each match court has a cost associated with it. You have to place advertising, you need more referees, additional ball children and so on. Here we are in an incredibly beautiful and large club, but you are always limited. We are not the French Open and therefore do not have 20 match courts and our own training grounds. The premises are another point. You need everything twice. Normally you have two ATP physios, now you have two ATP physios and two WTA physios. Of course you can't work together and so it all multiplies. The biggest problem that had to be solved, however, was the lack of space.
What solution did you find for this?
We made sure that we somehow use every room in the club and in the surrounding area. Our offices are no longer directly in the tennis club. So every doctor, every physio and every masseur has his place on the facility. Because they are very important for the players. At the end of the day, problems are only problems until you solve them. When that's done, you can laugh about it anyway.
Your day-to-day work sounds exhausting. What is the reason you take all this upon yourself?
That is answered in one sentence: I do all this in honor of my father. I want to run this tournament as well as possible. Every tennis fan in Austria knows how my father approached things and how he tackled things. He didn't do things by halves and in his honor we're all doing our best to have a great tournament.
So it was immediately clear to you that you would take over the tournament?
Yes. For me that was never a question. It was clear from the start that the tournament had to and should go on. We also plan to continue the tournament in the future.
In your opinion, how important is the favorable date?
The most important thing in a small tournament is always the date. You have to make sure that you have the chance to sign good players. That's always the case in the second week of a Grand Slam tournament and a 1000s. That was always my father's thought. Because there is no point in doing a challenger in Marbella in the first week of the French Open. Every good clay court player has something different to do. The date is therefore very well thought out - also in relation to the starting field. Players like Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka and Philipp Kohlschreiber are happy to have a few matches in their legs before the clay court season really gets going.
What are your tips for winning the tournament?
Emotionally it would be unbelievable for me if Dominic won here. He won his first ATP title in Nice under our license, so it would be highly emotional for me if - after what happened to my dad - he also triumphed here. Of course that would be unbelievable. But it won't be easy for him, because he hasn't played a match for a long time. It is always difficult to mentally surrender to this pressure. But I don't think he will have a problem with that. That's why I'm staying with Dominic from a sporting point of view.
And with the ladies?
Women's tennis is something very special for me because I have absolutely no idea about it and it's unpredictable for me. The best example of this is the resignation of Ashleigh Barty. I don't know if it's ever happened with the men that such a young number one ends his career. For me it's a bit difficult from a WTA point of view, because there's still a hole in the image. People might be wondering what's there. I would find it funny if Kiki Mladenovic wins. We could organize a Champions Dinner (laughs). Seriously: I just saw a few points from Ms. Schmiedlova... That might be a hot tip.
Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and also Murray are of course much easier to market.
Florian Leitgeb on challenges in women's tennis.
While the men with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have often had the same winners at the Grand Slams in recent years, many women lacked consistency. How do you see the development of women's tennis?
Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and also Murray are of course much easier to market. People have been talking about them for the past 15 years and of course it can be marketed very differently than when there is a new number one every three weeks. This consistency existed in the women for a while with the Williams sisters. I'm missing that consistency a bit right now. I don't wish that there would be the same number one in the world in the next ten years, but some consistency that the same two, three or four women can be expected at every Grand Slam would be nice. I don't see that. I don't want to say that this is a problem for the players. I don't think there's a lack of role models at all, but from a marketing point of view it's easier to have three or four players figuring it out at the top. Whether it's more exciting for viewers to have no plan at all on Monday as to who might win is another aspect that might be worth mentioning positively.
I would like to take a brief look at the Challenger tournament in Mauthausen with you. What can Austrian tennis fans expect?
I can't say much about the starting field at the moment because everything is still open. But it is really impressive what the people involved have created there in terms of infrastructure. There is a super gym, physio rooms, a great hard court hall, the outdoor courts are perfect. We also have a beautiful VIP terrace. You should come and see it!
Jurij Rodionov won a Challenger title in Biel on Sunday. Is his arrival expected?
I hope so. Of course I would be happy about all Austrians. That was also the intention to make this Challenger. When Jürgen (Melzer, note) became sports director, we sat down at some point and looked at what was going on in Italy. In Italy, as a young player, you can play a challenger every week for three months. They don't have to fly to South Korea or anything, they can all stay at home. When Jürgen became sports director, there was no challenger in Austria. That's why we hope for all our Austrians so that they can also present them at home. In Vienna and Kitzbühel there is of course a different field of participants and it is therefore much more difficult to score points.