Erste Bank Open: Thiem, the fans - Record against the tournament in Vienna
So Dominic Thiem won the second title in Austria after Kitzbühel at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. Anyone who has wandered attentively through the Wiener Stadthalle could ask a few questions. We try to get an answer.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Oct 29, 2019, 09:47 am
Question one: What is to come for Dominic Thiem now?
At the national tournament level: nothing more. Thomas Muster won in Kitzbühel, but never in Vienna. Horst Skoff and Jürgen Melzer are in the list of winners of the Stadthalle, in the Tyrolean Unterland such great deeds are not noted. Restricted to the small Austrian tennis cosmos, Dominic Thiem would just have to face a big challenge - but for formal reasons he will not be able to do that: An epic match in the Davis Cup. Keywords: Praterstadion, Duskia-Halle, Unterpremstätten. At the time, Muster and Skoff have proven themselves over five sets and that will not be coming back. And for a possible home game in the first round of the Davis Cup, the stakes are just not high enough as in the semi-final against the USA.
Question two: How many tickets could the organizers have sold for Sunday?
At this point, wild speculation must be made. The after the semi-final victory of Thiem against Berrettini fresh launched 2,000 cards were in any case out of print within 20 minutes. This is otherwise known only from concerts of international top acts.
Question three: Who could have jumped for Dominic Thiem as a crowd pleaser in the breach?
The finalist should be mentioned in the first place: the sportsman Schwartzman will probably be in for a bit of a shower in the near future. Then Matteo Berrettini: The final applause after the semi-final was carried with relief and honest enthusiasm. And because we are just with the Italians: The Sinner Jannik is to be wished that he retains his carefreeness. And by no means learned the High German.
Question four: Why is only a grandstand head page protected with a net?
In fact, at first glance, it seems a bit surprising that only the spectators seated on the left should be constantly attentive. Our 24-member research team, however, disengaged with measuring tape and compass to record: The right side, thus the grandstand West, is protected by a gang, which is created by just under a tennis racket length higher than those on the opposite side.
Question five: Will training be outdoors in the future?
For several years, tournament director Herwig Straka has set up a training tent in front of the main entrance to the Wiener Stadthalle. Now nobody wants to confuse the climate with the current weather, but: temperatures like in late October 2019, other spring-outdoor tournaments would take on the ATP tour with a hand kiss. Who knows: maybe the next edition of the Erste Bank Open will be put on a tent with sunroof.
Question Six: Is there anything better than garlic?
Of course not. And so it is only right and cheap, that when buying a pizza at actually family-friendly prices and anxiety-free gripped in the Knoblauchtopf to sport an extra layer on it draufzupinseln. Glorious.