Dominic Thiem’s ​​farewell, important week in Live Race: Basel & Vienna Scouting Report | ATP Tour

Inspection Report

Thiem’s ​​farewell, important week in Live Race: Basel & Vienna Scouting Report

The ultimate summary of what every fan should know about the upcoming week

October 20, 2024

The season reaches an exciting climax, with the best players in the world trying to secure their place at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. The chase continues this week at the ATP 500 events in Basel and Vienna, where more points are up for grabs.

Andrey Rublev topped the Swiss Indoor Basel and Alexander Zverev topped the Erste Bank Open. It will be an emotional week in Vienna, where home hero Dominic Thiem will retire after an outstanding career that saw him reach No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings and win the 2020 US Open.

ATPtour.com takes a look at five things to watch for each tournament.

FIVE THINGS TO SEE IN BASEL
1) Rublev leads the way: Leading the way in Basel is Andrey Rublev, who is competing for the first time. Every game, starting with his opening match against Portugal’s Nuno Borges, is key for the 26-year-old. Rublev is ranked eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and is trying to reach the Nitto ATP Finals for the fifth season in a row.

2) Felix’s Double Defense Champion: Felix Auger-Aliassime joined the elite list last year when he won his second consecutive Basel title. Other players who have achieved this are Roger Federer, Juan Martin del Potro, Stefan Edberg and Ivan Lendl. The Canadian’s two most recent victories have come at the ATP 500 and he will try to make it three in a row, starting with his first-round clash against Argentina’s Sebastian Baez.

3) Stay Home: Swiss star Stan Wawrinka is drawing wild cards on home soil. The 39-year-old enjoyed his best tournament of the year in Stockholm, where he advanced to the semi-finals, and will look to carry that momentum into Basel, where he is looking for his first title. Fellow Swiss Dominic Stricker and former Top 10 player Denis Shapovalov are also in the field as wild cards.

4) Ruud & Tsitsipas Players To Watch: There is a lot of star power in Basel. Second seed Casper Ruud, seventh in the Live Race, faces an opening test against Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut. Third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas is looking for his second title of the year and will begin his campaign against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo. Sixth seed Ben Shelton brings his booming career to Basel for the first time.

5) Koolhof & Mektic’s Turin Pursuit: The top seeds in the double draw are Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic. The 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champions are seventh in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings and are looking to make a comeback at the end of the season. They advanced to their current stage by winning the ATP Masters 1000 title in Shanghai.

FIVE THINGS TO SEE IN VIENNA
1) Thiem’s ​​farewell: Thiem, one of the best players of his generation, retires after his efforts this coming week at home in Vienna. The 31-year-old won a title at the tournament in 2019 and has a 16-11 record there, where he played his first ATP Tour event in 2010. That year, he entered eligibility as a 17-year-old. Thiem will begin his event against Argentina’s Mariano Navone on Tuesday evening.

2) Zverev Top Seed: Zverev tops the ATP 500 draw. The German has gone 9-2 in Vienna, where he will lift the trophy in 2021. With the Nitto ATP Finals already set, Zverev will try to add to his triumph in Rome with a second victory of 2024. He plays wild card Joel Schwaerzler, an 18-year-old Austrian, in the first round.

3) Race Course: Several players in contention for the Nitto ATP Finals will race for a spot in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin in Vienna. Alex de Minaur is ninth in the Live Race, 275 points behind eighth-placed Andrey Rublev in the final qualifying spot. With 500 points to go this week, the Australian will be looking to make his debut in Turin. Grigor Dimitrov, the 2017 Nitto ATP finals champion, and Tommy Paul, who met in the finals in Stockholm, are directly behind De Minaur, trying to get closer to the qualification spot.

4) First Round Fun Games: There are plenty of exciting first round games to watch. Seventh seed Jack Draper will face former World No. Kei Nishikori. 4, fifth seed Frances Tiafoe will play former Top 10 player Cameron Norrie and fourth seed Paul will try to beat local Brandon Nakashima, a 2022 Next Gen ATP finalist presented by the PIF champion.

What on earth are we up to in Vienna? 👀 @jackdraper0 x @whatwillycook pic.twitter.com/x1qUyL5RPC

– ATP Tour (@atptour) October 19, 2024

Other highlights include a battle of the Italians between sixth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti and Lorenzo Sonego, and a rematch of this year’s Newport final between Marcos Giron and #NextGenATP Alex Michelsen.

5) Arevalo/Pavic & Bopanna/Ebden lead the way: The top two seeds in the doubles field are Roland Garros champions Marcelo Arevalo/Mate Pavic and Australian Open winners Rohan Bopanna/Matthew Ebden. Bopanna/Ebden face a tricky opening test against Robin Haase and Zverev, who received a surprise card. Another team that won major titles this year, Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, will try for ATP 500 glory in Vienna as the third seed.