Carlos Alcaraz made the surprising decision to play the Vienna Open after the Six Kings Slam was delayed.
The Spaniard suffered an early exit at the Shanghai Masters to Zizou Bergs and would have had an extended break from the sport if he did not receive a wildcard for the Vienna Open.
Alcaraz has not played the tournament since 2021, when he reached the semifinals of the ATP 500 tournament.
His decision to play the tournament has pricked the ears of Dominic Thiem, who helped put Austrian tennis back on the map when he won the US Open back in 2020.
Thiem is incredibly excited to see Alcaraz play the indoor tournament and has opened up about his fondness for the seven-time Grand Slam champion ahead of his Vienna Open appearance.
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“[He is] probably the most entertaining player to watch in the entire history of tennis. I don’t think there are many who can match him,” said the Austrian.
“What he does is just incredible, the show he puts on is amazing. and I think everyone who’s lucky enough to have tickets this week has so much to look forward to.”
Alcaraz and Thiem did not get the chance to play each other on the ATP Tour, but the Austrian knows all about playing in front of his home fans at the Vienna Open.
Thiem won the tournament for the first and only time in 2021, beating the likes of Diego Schwartzman, Matteo Berrettini, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Fernando Verdasco to win the title.
The Austrian also ended his career at the Vienna Open, when he was beaten in straight sets by Luciano Darderi in the first round of the competition.
Following the match, Thiem said: “Those emotions, those feelings. Being in the flow, like I was in the first set. These are the things that will never come back.
“It hurts. But at the same time I was playing some forehands, especially in the second set, and they were not even coming to the net. So it was the right decision.”
Thiem will be in attendance at the Vienna Open this year, as the likes of Alexander Zverev, Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Alex de Minaur compete to win the title.
The winner of last year’s tournament was Jannik Sinner, so there will be a different winner at the 2026 event.
The Vienna Open takes place between October 26th and November 1st and it marks the final ATP 500 tournament of the season, along with the Swiss Indoors, which takes place concurrently.
