Dominic Thiem wins tournament victory: Erste Bank Open record new attendance record
Even before Dominic Thiem left for his first Vienna final on Sunday, the organizers of the Erste Bank Open took stock. The Stadthalle burst at the seams on five days, with 66,350 fans, a new audience record was achieved. Compared to the previous year, there was a corresponding increase of another ten percent.
by APA
last edit: Oct 28, 2019, 02:13 am
Tournament director Herwig Straka, whose protégé Thiem completed the historic Austrian double on Sunday, was very pleased about the semi-final day. "That was definitely one of the best days, if not the most beautiful in the career as organizer of the Erste Bank Open."
In 2009, at the time, Jürgen Melzer was in the final (and also won), taking over the tournament. "Thomas Muster and I drove up here today, on a day when it's 24 degrees outside, a Sunday and the autumn break - we probably would have had two or three thousand people in the hall ten years ago, and today we have 9,000 people. "
This year, not only the long-established tournament itself has contributed, but for the first time also really Dominic Thiem, believes Straka. "We have not sold out the Stadthalle with him in recent years and that has changed, I think Dominic has become a star this year, and he is massively contributing to ticket sales."
Erste Bank Open: Wiener Stadthalle too small
The highly successful tournament also makes the call for the new hall in Vienna louder from the point of view of the ATP tournament. "To say the least, it has now become too small in the last few days and we have now sold out for five days, we would have sold one hundred percent twice as many tickets today," Straka said. Not even for employees there would have been more space, in front of the hall the black market flourished.
In terms of the planned new hall in Neu-Marx, managing director of Wien Holding, Kurt Gollowitzer, was able to deliver good news. "There will be a press conference next month, and we expect it to be fully operational by 2025 at the end of 2024, early 2025." Soon the starting signal for an architectural competition will be given.
The total costs can only be named after that, the budgeted construction costs should amount to 250 million euros. "We looked at halls in Europe and asked, what did the halls cost on average," says Gollowitzer. The cut was just those 250 million.
The total costs of construction can only be said after the architectural competition, even if there are predetermined limits. The new hall will definitely offer space for more than 20,000 visitors.
ATP Vienna toying with Masters 1000
And it is created from all infrastructurally necessary guidelines also at least the possibility, under certain circumstances, even once a Masters 1000 tournament to get to Vienna. Straka, who also sits in the ATP board, says: "The probability of getting something like that is single-digit in the percentage range, but if it were possible, it would be great, then we have the hall too." However, the acquisition of the license would hardly be affordable. Straka said that Ion Tiriac, who hosted the 1000 in Madrid, would demand 250 million euros.
The expiring contract must be renegotiated by title sponsor Erste Bank. The fact that the bank quits ice hockey after 17 years, but have nothing to do with it, assured private customer board Thomas Schaufler. Erste Bank will continue to stay in the sport.
If the player's request for 2020 remains: With Alexander Zverev runs about a three-year contract in Basel. "Except for Roger Federer you can put everyone on the list, Nadal is of course my personal wish, he has never been to Vienna", Straka repeated the wish for the Spanish superstar.