Austria’s Davis Cup team around Dominic Thiem will compete in their play-off duel for the World Group (14 to 16 September 2018) against Australia in Graz. The location of the game was announced on Tuesday at a press conference in the capital of Styria. The matches will be played on a sand court on the exhibition grounds, the grandstands offer space for a total of 5,800 spectators.
Austria beat hosts Russia 3-1 in Moscow on April without top player Dominic Thiem and budget number two Gerald Melzer. Should the Alpine Republic win the duel in September, they would return to the Bel Etage of the Davis Cup for the first time since 2013.
However, the challenge is enormous. The Australian team has won the Davis Cup trophy 28 times so far, most recently in 2003, after captain Lleyton Hewitt’s quartet lost 3-1 to Germany in the first round in February of this year in Brisbane.
Nick Kyrgios (ATP-23) is the dazzling figurehead of the team from Down Under. Other top 100 players include John Millman (ATP-70), Matthew Ebden (ATP-83), Jordan Thompson (ATP-89) and John Peers (ATP-7) in the double world rankings. With 19-year-old Alex de Minaur (ATP-109), Hewitt has a more than good alternative against Team Austria, the world’s number 22.
Apart from two-time French Open semi-finalist Dominic Thiem (ATP-7), none of the hosts are among the top 100 in the ranking. Gerald Melzer is 115th, Sebastian Ofner is listed in 148th place – and Dennis Novak in 193rd.
Austria are 1:2 behind in the direct duel. The most recent comparison was a 5-0 win in Sydney in 2005. “If you look at the rankings, it’s hard to win against Australia,” said Austrian captain Stefan Koubek: “But with the euphoria that has arisen in Russia, anything is possible”.
The Austrians last played Croatia in Graz in 2006 (2:3), nine years before they had defeated the same opponent in the same spot 3:2.
The Carinthian wants to consider two aspects in the nomination. “The loyalty of those who have been so successful in the past. And of course Dominic Thiem. He can make the difference, the players know that too,” said Koubek about the world ranking seven.
At the surprise coup in April in Russia, comebacker Jürgen Melzer had become the hero of Moscow. The legendary left-hander, who had just returned to the tour at the Challenger in Marbella after a nine-month injury break, won the third singles match against Evgeny Donskoy 6-3, 3-6 and 6-3.
A red-white-red sensation started the day before with debutant Dennis Novak (ATP No. 193), who defeated Andrey Rublev, number 31 in the ATP ranking and one from the NextGen Guard, in two sets with 7:6, 6:4.