MercedesCup: When the tournament director starts sweating

Edwin Weindorfer, organizer and tournament director of the MercedesCup, described the last eight days on the grounds of the Tennis Club Weissenhof as “a successful week”. The fact that the manager from Austria can also get into a sweat was due not least to the crowd-puller of the event.

By Florian Heer from Stuttgart

Roger Federer’s narrow first-round win over Mischa Zverev was the moment when Weindorfer made the most sweaty beads rise to his face. “When Roger lost the first set, I left the stadium. Although Mischa played excellently, a second first-round defeat would not have been easy for a man who has won Wimbledon eight times,” said Weindofer.

Federer had not been able to reach a final in Stuttgart so far and again this year, after winning the opening match in three sets, it was anything but an easy path. Last year, his buddy Tommy Haas of all people kicked him out of the tournament.

Federer also caused another cause for concern for the organisers. “We were sold out on the final weekend,” Weindorfer announced on Sunday morning during the closing press conference. “Roger told me he was expecting about 60 friends and acquaintances for the final. I was only expecting 20,” the tournament boss smiled at the journalists and joked: “Maybe it’ll be a bit like the airlines and we’ll find some volunteers who’ll give up their ticket.

Whether the Roger-Mania will continue next year is uncertain at this time. Without a doubt, the 36-year-old Swiss is the driving force behind the tournament, which once again attracted around 60,000 spectators this week. Further additional ranks have been established, the media response is increasing from year to year. Without question: The change from sand to grass in 2015 has more than paid off for the organizers, but also for the fans. But what would it look like without Roger Federer?

“We have no agreement with Roger for 2019,” was Weindofer’s clear announcement. At the same time, he is confident that the new world number one will return to the Swabian metropolis.

“I believe Roger is extremely comfortable here. It is the only tournament, apart from Basel, where he can travel with his own private car. I think he enjoys it very much,” says the 53-year-old Styrian.

The Swiss-Maestro also seems to like Stuttgart as a city. “He has some of his favorite places here where he likes to hang out. And he loves the atmosphere in the clubhouse, where he spends a lot of time on the terrace with his team.”

The Mercedes Cup officials are also proud of the meticulous work that takes place behind the scenes to provide the players with the best possible conditions on their way to Wimbledon. Weindorfer is proud to announce its cooperation with the world’s most famous tennis event. That the lawn is 8 millimeters long, exactly as in Wimbledon. “Even if we start at 7 millimetres in the morning and end at 9 millimetres in the evening, because the lawn grows 2 millimetres a day,” Weindorfer threw more precisely afterwards.

Not only is the environment suitable for Federer, who once again made the leap to the tennis throne in Stuttgart, but the sporting value of the tournament should not be underestimated either.

“If you want to win Wimbledon, there are not so many ways to prepare, especially if you want to save energy in the week before the Grand Slam. We are very happy when he decides to play Stuttgart and then Halle,” said Weindorfer, who described the semi-final against Nick Kyrgios as an “epoch-making match”.

Organizers and fans can therefore look confidently into the future of the ATP tournament.