Vienna and Basel: With Thiem, Medvedev, Alcaraz & Co - the rendezvous of the top stars is announced
The ATP 500 events in Vienna and Basel - which will take place synchronously in the week from October 24th to 30th - promise great fields of participants again this year.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Sep 27, 2022, 07:06 pm
Vienna and Basel are on schedule - as long as there are no COVID-19-related quarrels in the ATP calendar - very excellent: once again fine-tune the form for the last ATP Masters 1000 event on European hardcourts, maybe even a few important ones Knight points for a possible qualification for the ATP finals a few days later: There are many reasons that always bring great interest to the two Alpine events.
It's no different in 2022: Apart from Rafael Nadal, Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic, all top 30 players are now named for one of the two ATP 500 events. The Austrian capital seems to have fared a little better in terms of the sheer number of top 10 players: With Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tstsipas, Cameron Norrie, Andrey Rublev and Jannik Sinner, there are five of them who are playing at the Erste Bank Open .
Number one and two in Basel
In Basel, on the other hand, you can look forward to the number one in the world, Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard could meet the current number two on the ATP charts, Casper Ruud from Norway, in the final in a rematch of the US Open final. In addition, three former Grand Slam champions, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic, will be honored. The Australian Nick Kyrgios, who has also already confirmed for Basel, will provide the extra show factor.
In Vienna, on the other hand, as is so often the case, many eyes will be on local hero Dominic Thiem, who will open in Vienna via wildcard or protected ranking. There are also a number of dangerous players at the Erste Bank Open who are just outside the top 10: Last year's finalist and US Open semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe is there, as are Hubert Hurkacz, Matteo Berrettini and Taylor Fritz.
One thing is certain: at the end of October, Basel and Vienna will again be transformed into two absolute tennis hotspots. With very few exceptions, all the world's best will be present in the Alps. But it is also certain that Alexander Zverev's injury will last a little longer, as the native of Hamburg will not be able to tackle his mission of defending his title in Vienna as of now. And what does that mean for Paris, Turin or Malaga?