Raise The Roof: Thiem & Tsonga Have High-Altitude Hit In Vienna

Home favourite Dominic Thiem and Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga kicked off this year’s Erste Bank Open in style on Friday, enjoying a friendly hit on the Erste Campus roof as they took in the Vienna skyline.

Thiem, the top seed in Vienna, looks for his fifth ATP Tour title of the year. He won his maiden ATP Tour crown on home soil this August in Kitzbühel (d. Ramos-Vinolas). The Austrian will play his first-round match on Tuesday night.

“It’s always nice to watch Vienna from the [roof]. I’m always surprised at what a wonderful city it is. I don’t have many chances to be up somewhere and check out a beautiful city,” Thiem said. “[The preparations] are going good. I already had some great practises on Center Court and it’s very nice to be back on this special court.”

Tsonga looks to build on his past success in Vienna. The Frenchman prevailed in 2011 (d. Del Potro) and finished runner-up in 2016-2017 (l. to Murray and Pouille). Tsonga has excelled indoors this season by lifting ATP Tour crowns in Montpelllier (d. Herbert) and Metz (d. Bedene).

“It’s good to spend time with Dominic and the view is beautiful,” Tsonga said. “I’ve always been treated the best way here. I’ve won here before and have very good memories not only on the court, but outside of the court as well.”

Russian Karen Khachanov, Italian Matteo Berrettini and Frenchman Gael Monfils round out the top four top seeds at the ATP 500 event.