Great news for the red-white-red tennis fans! Dominic Thiem will represent Austria in the Davis Cup win against Australia in Graz from 14 to 16 September 2018.
“Dominic Thiem of course increases the chances of promotion to the World Group,” says Davis Cup captain Stefan Koubek, who wants to lead the team back into the elite league of the best tennis nations after five years of absence. “That was clearly the goal I set when I took office three years ago.”
5,800 spectators will be seated in the open-air stadium on the grounds of the Graz Trade Fair Centre. “Dominic’s promise is of course great for the event,” adds Koubek, “I expect we’ll have a full house for three days”.
Stefan Koubek will be able to draw on his strengths against Australia. “All eligible players have pledged!” So Dominic Thiem, Gerald Melzer, Dennis Novak, Oliver Marach, Alexander Peya, Philipp Oswald, Jürgen Melzer and Sebastian Ofner. Koubek is also in contact with Andreas Haider-Maurer, Tristan-Samuel Weissborn and Julian Knowle.
“I wished everyone wanted to be there,” said Koubek, “so that I could make the right choice and nominate the five players with whom I see the best chances. This case has now come to pass.”
What to expect from the guests? “They have been playing in the world group for five years, which says a lot about their strength,” says Koubek. “But with the euphoria of April’s victory in Russia, anything is possible.” Captain of the guest team is former world number one Lleyton Hewitt.
The current world rankings-19th Nick Kyrgios – a gifted bird of paradise who can’t always keep his nerves in check. In direct comparison with Australia it is 1:2, the last home game Austria won in 1989 at the Dusika Stadium in Vienna with 5:0.
On Saturday, 30 June 2018, the advance sale of day tickets will start on oeticket.com. Prices vary between 49 and 76 euros on Friday and Sunday. On Saturday, when the doubles are played, the tickets cost between 35 and 57 euros. Three-day tickets (99 to 165 Euro) are still available.
“The advance sale so far has gone very well and exceeds all expectations. I assume that this trend will even intensify after Dominic Thiem has agreed,” says Herwig Straka, who organizes the Davis Cup in Graz with the agency e|motion.
For Werner Klausner, the event in Graz is the first Heim-Davis-Cup in his era as ÖTV President. “Our national team has earned enormously with the sensational away win in Russia this home game. It will be an incredible tennis festival in a tennis-loving and great federal state,” explains the Salzburg native. “Now that Dominic Thiem is also on board, with our top players and fans behind us, we have an absolutely realistic chance of advancing to the world group of the best tennis nations.