ÖTV with a new presidium and Melzer as the sporting director: "Would like to bundle forces"
The Austrian Tennis Association elected a new presidium at an extraordinary general assembly on Sunday. State Secretary Magnus Brunner will hold the office of President from now on, and Jürgen Melzer has been brought on board as sports director. The new management team issued cooperation as the motto for the three-year legislative period.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Oct 26, 2020, 06:18 pm
By Michael Rothschädl from the Wiener Stadthalle
In a tranquil atmosphere on the sidelines of the Erste Bank Open, the ÖTV announced its new presidium on Sunday afternoon. According to this, Magnus Brunner, who has been State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection and the Environment since the beginning of the year, will head the Austrian Tennis Association. Elke Romauch, Martin Ohneberg and Georg Blumauer complete the management team of ÖTV as Vice Presidents.
The unanimous election of the new board of directors had been preceded by intensive discussions with the regional associations and various stakeholders in Austrian tennis over the past few weeks. “We all have a common goal: We want to advance tennis in Austria. That is why it is our aim to bundle all forces and pull together, ”said Neo-President Brunner in the course of the press conference. In addition, it would be the declared aim to consult the expertise of the numerous former and active professionals and coaches in the country.
In order to remain competitive, especially in terms of sport, the new ÖTV Presidium has brought Jürgen Melzer, a former top eight player, on board, who will have young Austrian talents under his aegis as the sporting director. Günter Bresnik is also said to have expressed interest in working with the Austrian tennis association, as Melzer confirmed. "We are holding talks, but now we have to wait and see in which direction it will develop in the next few months." In order to be able to dedicate himself fully to the new project , Melzer will give up his professional career after the Australian Open. There should only be a few “pleasure projects” afterwards, but these are far from a professional career.
Play for semi-finals in the Davis Cup Finals
At the center of his activity as a sports director should of course be the Südstadt training center, which, according to Melzer, is planning a significant upgrade. “We want to offer a top product because the competition is fierce. Young players should come to us in the Südstadt due to the conditions ”, says Melzer, who plans to spend a lot of time on the field himself in order to be able to pass on his“ know-how from over 30 years of tennis. ”Meanwhile, competition is coming from the own ranks, just last week the Austrian Tennis Committee (ATC), headed by Wolfgang Thiem, presented its training center in Traiskirchen, in which all of the top Austrian players, Dominic Thiem, Dennis Novak and Jurij Rodionov, have their training center. Melzer sees no problem in this, however: “I think competition stimulates business. There will definitely be no power games, ”said the former French Open semi-finalist.
So there shouldn't be any disagreements with regard to the Davis Cup in the future. Not even after Wolfgang Thiem and ÖTV have deliberately chosen separate paths in the past. “I think I know the players so well that I know that they are eager to play in Madrid in 2021.” The German-Wagramer even went one step further: “We will provide a team in Spain that can play for the semifinals, ”said Melzer, who, despite the brilliant tennis presence, wants to focus primarily on promoting and finding talent.