From cattle market to ATP Tour tennis: Inside Vienna's historic new venue

Vienna

From cattle market to ATP Tour tennis: Inside Vienna’s historic new venue

Austrian capital’s Marx-Halle hosted second and third courts this 12 months at ATP 500

October 26, 2025

When it got here to the following large transfer in the way forward for the Erste Financial institution Open, the crew behind the ATP 500 dug deep into Vienna’s previous.

An indoor hard-court occasion uniquely held throughout two venues, the Erste Financial institution Open this 12 months featured a brand new match website: the historic Marx-Halle, a construction which served as the principle cattle market of the Austrian capital for 120 years earlier than being repurposed as an occasions venue.

This previous 10 days, the Marx-Halle has hosted qualifying and main-draw matches for each singles and doubles on the Erste Financial institution Open. For match director Herwig Straka, the brand new venue has been a high-quality addition that completely enhances the occasion’s longtime Centre Court docket venue, the Wiener Stadthalle, the place Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev will conflict on Sunday in a blockbuster championship match.

“We discovered Marx-Halle and we knew it was a superb location as a result of it has sufficient house,” Straka advised ATPTour.com when requested about his match’s motivations for a brand new second website. “It’s the identical circumstances because the Stadthalle and we will do what we all the time attempt to do: To develop, run actions for youths and households. Then we translated it to the thought of followers [being able to purchase] a floor ticket.”

For the earlier 4 editions of the Erste Financial institution Open, the match’s second website was a short lived construction on the Heumarkt, a sq. in Vienna’s metropolis centre. Straka says the transfer to the Marx-Halle was motivated by a transparent set of objectives, and the suggestions he has obtained throughout the match suggests he and his crew have achieved them.

“[The clearest improvement] is the variety of courts,” mentioned Straka of the Marx-Halle, which options two match courts and one follow courtroom and might host as much as 25,000 followers. “The choice to run a wheelchair occasion now at an expert stage. Perhaps further occasions sooner or later we might add. It’s house, and actual indoor enjoying circumstances. That’s the essential distinction and enchancment [from the Heumarkt].”

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High seed Jannik Sinner throughout follow on the Marx-Halle through the 2025 Erste Financial institution Open. Photograph Credit score: e-motion/Stefan Strasser

The No. 16 within the PIF ATP Rankings Alexander Bublik, in addition to different High 40 stars Francisco Cerundolo, Flavio Cobolli, Tomas Machac, Alex Michelsen and Corentin Moutet are amongst these to have contested singles matches on the Marx-Halle this previous week. It has additionally functioned as the principle follow facility for all of the gamers competing on the stacked ATP 500.

“We wished to enhance the standard for the gamers [with our new venue],” mentioned Straka. “It feels one to at least one precisely prefer it does within the Stadthalle. We’ve had sensible suggestions. All of the gamers, Jannik, Sascha, have practised there. It’s that form of feeling we wished to create, and we had been profitable.”

In addition to guaranteeing gamers are catered for, Straka’s different main concern when planning the Marx-Halle venue was for visiting followers. He cites the extra ‘private’, up-close expertise out there to tennis lovers as an apparent plus level.

“The followers can get very near high gamers and inhale and really feel far more than you would do at a essential centre courtroom,” mentioned Straka. “The power of the gamers and their recreation, even in follow. There are a whole lot of tennis followers there who play themselves actively, so for them watching Jannik practise, for instance, is a giant expertise.

“I used to be very happy with the tennis within the metropolis idea [from previous years], however at some stage it’s essential be prepared for the following step and to enhance. That is the following step.”

Followers get pleasure from a close-up view of the follow courts on the Marx-Halle. Photograph Credit score: e-motion/Stefan Strasser