Legendary finals in Vienna: 2010 - Jürgen Melzer defends title against Andreas Haider-Maurer
Jürgen Melzer has won the single title twice in the Wiener Stadthalle. The two successes could not have been more different.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Oct 19, 2021, 06:42 pm
Home wins in the Wiener Stadthalle are a rare commodity. This is mainly due to the outstanding line-up of the field of players, which is again at its best in the 2021 version with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev at the top. Nevertheless, Dominic Thiem 2019 and Horst Skoff succeeded in the autumn classic in 1988, but one man was allowed to be celebrated twice as tournament winner by the domestic fans: Jürgen Melzer.
The legendary left-hander won in 2009 and 2010, under completely different conditions. "The starting situation was much easier in 2009," remembers Melzer in an interview with tennisnet. “Of course I was nervous before my first Vienna final. But Marin Cilic was placed higher than me and actually should have won. I played a strong match. And with this title probably ushered in my super run in the following year. ”The success in Vienna showed him, Melzer continued, that he can keep up with the big ones and win tournaments of this magnitude. Even at home with pressure from the stands. Melzer defeated Cilic 6: 4 and 6: 3.
Melzer wanted to give up in the semifinals
“2010 was a completely different starting point. I had an incredible year, going into the tournament as number one. But it was bruised on the elbow. ”Melzer played no fewer than 136 matches that season, in singles and doubles, where he also achieved the first big coup at Wimbledon alongside Philipp Petzschner. The second was to follow a year later at the US Open.
In Vienna, however, a very special task awaited in the final: Andreas Haider-Maurer had defeated Thomas Muster at the beginning, then eliminated in the quarter-finals with Cilic Melzer's final opponent from 2009 - and asserted himself in the semi-final against the German Michael Berrer in a close fight. Melzer had defeated Lukasz Kubot in two tight sets after a bye in the round of 16, after which he benefited from the withdrawal of Philipp Kohlschreiber. In retrospect, consider important grains that Melzer had saved.
Haider-Maurer served on the tournament victory
“I actually wanted to give up on set and break in the semi-final against Nicolas Almagro because my elbow hurt so much. I somehow managed to get over it, and of course you don't give up in the final either. I was set and break in the back, Andy served on the match. The defeat would have been extremely painful because I was the big favorite. And losing to an Austrian in Vienna wouldn't have been great. Fortunately, it was enough and brought great relief. Because this final was far more difficult for me than the one in 2009. "
In the end it was a wafer-thin 6: 7 (10), 7: 6 (4) and 6: 4 that brought Melzer his second title in Vienna.