Murray, Other ATP Stars Help Launch Vienna Tournament

Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych, Dominic Thiem and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga helped kick off the Erste Bank Open 500 on Sunday with a game of mini-tennis in front of Vienna’s world-famous St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

The four top ATP World Tour players, all seeded at this week’s Vienna tournament, also interacted with fans and shared their expectations for one of the season’s final tournaments.

Murray, who’s chasing Novak Djokovic for the No. 1 spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings, is the top seed this week. Two years ago, during his only prior appearance at the tournament, the Scot won the title, defeating David Ferrer in the final. If Murray lifts the trophy on Sunday, he’d celebrate his seventh title of the season, which would mark a career high.

“I played well here last time. I was in the position of trying to qualify for the [Barclays ATP] World Tour Finals at the end of the year, so I was very motivated and managed to win the event,” Murray said. “The centre court is a really, really nice stadium and a great atmosphere. There’s a lot of history at the tournament as well, a lot of great players have played here over the years and won. So it’s a nice event to be part of.”

Murray also has been impressed with Vienna as a city. “When you’re driving around the city, the views are amazing,” he said. “There are great buildings and amazing architecture, and it’s a nice place to visit for sure.”

Berdych, the second seed, wants to finish his season strong. He repeated as champion at the Shenzhen Open earlier this month but fell in his opening matches in Tokyo and Shanghai.

“I’m feeling good. The second half of the year has been a little bit tough, but overall I think I’m ready. I had a good few days of preparation and rest,” Berdych said. “A few interesting things are happening, so I’m really looking forward to the last few weeks of the season.”

The 31 year old is currently in ninth place in the Emirates ATP Race To London, 325 points behind eighth-placed Thiem. This week’s titlist will receive 500 Emirates ATP Rankings points, and next week’s BNP Paribas Masters champion will earn 1,000 points.

“These two weeks are going to be very important. It’s going to be decided by playing good tennis. That’s what will get me through and get me in into the [Barclays ATP] World Tour Finals,” Berdych said. “I’m really just trying to go one by one. I’m here in Vienna. I just want to play some good tennis, starting well in the first match and build it up. Then whatever happens, happens.”

Dominic Thiem, who’s from just outside Vienna, is also hoping to boost his status in the Emirates ATP Race To London standings this week. The 23 year old is 95 points behind seventh-placed Rafael Nadal. Thiem will make his sixth consecutive main draw appearance in Vienna. He has a 4-5 record at his home tournament, with his best result the quarter-finals in 2013.

“Obviously I really love the city,” Thiem said. “I’m really happy that I can play at home.”

The sixth-seeded Tsonga will hope to rekindle old memories this week. He won the tournament in 2011, beating Juan Martin del Potro in three sets.

“I’m feeling good and just happy to be here. It’s a nice city, a nice tournament. I’ve had good matches at this tournament in the past, and I won one time,” Tsonga said. “For me it’s always great to be back. It’s an amazing city, to be honest. I’ve been coming here for a long time now, and it looks like the city has improved every year.”

Main draw play begins on Monday in Vienna, highlighted with Berdych facing off against Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili.