ATP Vienna Open 2020 Faces Another Hurdle Ahead of the Event

In a blow to the organizers of the ATP Vienna Open, the Austrian Government has reduced the allowed spectator count of the event from 1500 to 1000. Austria is witnessing a surge in the coronavirus cases and so the Austrian government has taken the precautionary measure.

Vienna Open which is known as Erste Bank Open is an ATP 500 event held in Vienna, Austria. The organizers would have hoped for a higher spectator count to compliment this year’s strong draw.

Last year, Dominic Thiem defeated Diego Schwartzman in three sets to become the third Austrian to win the Vienna Open. And World No.1 Novak Djokovic returns to Vienna for the first time since winning it in 2007.

Who will play in ATP Vienna Open?

Challenging the home favorite and the defending champion Dominic Thiem are World No.1 Novak Djokovic, World No.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, World No.6 Daniil Medvedev, etc. Seven top 10 players will be battling in Vienna which almost makes the Erste bank Open a mini Grand Slam.

Herwig Straka, tournament director of Vienna Open earlier was confident of holding spectators at the tournament. He was eager to hold the tournament with spectators and assured an error-free event.

“It is obvious that the situation has tightened a bit in the last few days and weeks. But there is still not a single proven case at an event that is professionally organized” Straka said (quotes have been translated)

A similar situation in the French Open had occurred. The French Open organizers had earlier decided to hold 20,000 spectators at the Roland Garros but a rise in coronavirus cases saw the organizers reduce the number to 11,500. One week prior to the Grand Slam this number further shrunk to 5000. And then just before the Grand Slam began the final spectator count was set at 1000.

Nevertheless, the playing field at Vienna is impressive and will be an event that will garner a lot of viewers. The tournament begins on the 26th of October. And reigning US Open champ Dominic Thiem will look to use the home advantage against his main competitor Novak Djokovic.

Read More: Why is Novak Djokovic Prioritizing ATP Vienna Over Rolex Paris Masters 2020?