The Vienna Open Preview

This event has historically featured exciting contests that have served as a launchpad for many players’ careers. Notably, in 2024, British player Jack Draper secured his maiden ATP 500 title by defeating Karen Khachanov in the final. Unfortunately, Draper will be unable to defend his title due to an arm injury that will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the year. Let’s preview the upcoming tournament.

Jack Draper: ATP 500 Champion 🌟@jackdraper0 wins his BIGGEST career title in Vienna over Khachanov 6-4 7-5! 👏#erstebankopen pic.twitter.com/ZlDqS0h0Mp

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 27, 2024

Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner’s retirement from the Shanghai Masters third-round match against Tallon Griekspoor last week, due to cramps, means he cannot defend his Shanghai title won last year. The consequences of this will be felt in his quest to finish the year as the world’s number one ranked player. Sinner’s attention will now turn to the Vienna Open next week, where he aims to produce strong results and win the championship. Having defeated Daniil Medvedev to secure the Vienna title in 2023, Sinner skipped the tournament last year, citing fatigue. He returns this year with the goal of regaining the top position. As the top seed, Sinner will be strongly favored, especially given the tournament’s hard-court surface, which will make it difficult for other competitors to surpass him.

Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev’s season of struggles continues, marked by his recent upset 6-4, 2-6, 3-6 loss to Arthur Rinderknech at the Shanghai Masters, which brings his total losses for the year to 21 in 69 matches, a career-worst. Despite maintaining his third-ranking globally, Zverev’s performance this year has been subpar, with his best result being a loss in the Australian Open final to Jannik Sinner. That loss seems to have cast a lingering shadow, as Zverev has since found it challenging to recover from match losses after initially leading. In Austria, he faces the daunting task of regaining his footing and producing results when it counts, drawing inspiration from fond memories, including his title victory in 2021.

Lorenzo Musetti

Lorenzo Musetti, the world’s ninth-ranked player, is intent on concluding the year on a strong note, aiming to collect vital points to secure a spot in the ATP Finals. Despite his impressive run at the US Open, where he was ultimately defeated by Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals, Musetti failed to capitalize on that success. His loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Shanghai Masters third-round match diminished his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals, scheduled to take place in Italy. In Vienna, Musetti’s main objective is to progress closer to the title, thereby increasing his chances. Having consistently demonstrated the ability to perform under pressure, it is crucial that Musetti showcases this attribute once more. Musetti is also distinguished by his exceptional serving skills, being one of the cleanest servers on tour.

Karen Kachanov

Last year, Karen Kachanov came agonizingly close to securing the Vienna Open title, only to be denied by Jack Draper in the final. The 29-year-old Russian returns to Vienna, eager to rediscover his winning form. After underwhelming results in the Beijing Open and Shanghai Masters, his highlight of the season was a finalist finish at the Canadian Open, where Ben Shelton edged him out. Despite Shelton’s comeback triumph, Kachanov’s strong effort serves as a reminder of his enduring potential as a player.

Prize Money

The total prize money will be €2,736,875 ($3,180,659.28), according to the ATP Tour website.

Past winners

2024 – Jack Draper

2023 – Jannik Sinner

2022- Daniel Medvedev

2021 – Alexander Zverev

2020 – Andrey Rublev