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Vienna Tennis Veteran Jurgen Melzer Set To Retire

By Toby Oliver

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 16: Jurgen Melzer of Austria celebrates a point in his first round match against Roger Federer of Switzerland on day one of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 16, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 16: Jurgen Melzer of Austria celebrates a point in his first round match against Roger Federer of Switzerland on day one of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 16, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
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Austria’s Jurgen Melzer will play his final tournament this week, in the city of his birth, Vienna. The 37-year-old has enjoyed a successful career, racking up three grand slam doubles titles and five ATP World Tour singles titles.

Jurgen Melzer won his first doubles grand slam in 2010, partnering with Philipp Petzschner to take the Wimbledon title. He achieved a career high doubles ranking of six. In 2011, he won two doubles grand slams with the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon with ex-wife Iveta Benešová and then the US Open, again with Petzschner.

Out of the five singles titles he has won, two of them have been at his home tournament in Vienna, in 2009 and 2010. The latter being an all Austrian final when he beat Andreas Haider-Maurer.

Melzer’s best run at a grand slam in singles came at the 2010 French Open when he reached the semi-finals. During that run, he famously beat Novak Djokovic in the quarter-final, coming from two sets down. His most recent singles title came in 2013, when he won the title in Winston-Salem when he beat Gaël Monfils after the Frenchman had to retire during the match.

In 2015, he faced younger brother Gerald in qualifying for Wimbledon. Jurgen won 6-1 6-4 and said “It was not fun at all. The worst tennis day of my life and I hope we will never play each other again”. Melzer will mark the end of a 13-year career at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna this week. He has a difficult first-round draw against Milos Raonic. He’s also playing doubles with fellow Austrian Philipp Oswald.

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Considering Jurgen Melzer has played most of the season on the Challenger tour, this will be tricky for him, however he can be guaranteed an amazing reception by his home fans. He’s also leaving Austria Tennis in very safe hands with Dominic Thiem.

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