Spanish scrambler David Ferrer leads a pack of year-end contenders back to Europe as the points race for the ATP World Tour Finals heats up at next week’s Austrian Open.
The indoor event at the Stadthalle has been upgraded to an ATP 500 series, with double the ranking points on offer compared to last year when Andy Murray won the title as a wild card.
Ferrer, provisional seventh in the race to London – four places remain open in the field with three weeks of play remaining – will need to recover after losing in the Shanghai second round in a surprise to Australian Bernard Tomic.
But chasing the Spaniard in the sprint to London are rivals including second seed Kevin Anderson, number three John Isner of the United States and fourth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat Rafael Nadal in the Shanghai semi-finals.
The trailing trio stand 10th through 12th in the points chase to the season wrapup starting November 15.
Ferrer will be wary as he opens in the first round against compatriot Albert Ramos, who knocked Roger Federer out of an opening match in Shanghai.
Anderson starts with tough, tattooed Austrian Andreas Haider-Maurur, while Isner plays a qualifier and Tsonga will be fighting jet-lag when he takes on Tommy Haas in a highlight of the first round.
Vienna handed the evergreen German a wild card and boosted local interest in the event substantially along the way.
The 37-year-old, who is back from yet another shoulder surgery, is ranked a distant 467th but can still trade on Vienna success after titles in 2001 and 2013. He also played the final in 2000,
“I’ve won twice in Vienna and therefore obviously have very fond memories of this tournament,” said Haas. “The upgrade to a 500 series event make it even more attractive for players and fans.”
The winner of 15 ATP titles has spent this season since a mid-year return trying to regain form after his surgery.
Vienna made a bold attempt to lure two-time champion Federer back for the first time since 2003, when the young Swiss gained the second of two consecutive titles in the capital. But the 34-year-old will spend the week preparing for his home Swiss Indoors tournament.
Canadian Milos Raonic, another outside London contender, was forced out of the field with the hip injury which bothered him in China this week.
Austrian number one Dominic Thiem takes the fifth seeding, ahead of France’s Gael Monfils, playing for the first time since quitting a first round US Open match on August 31.
Croatian Ivo Karlovic is seeded seventh ahead of Italian Fabio Fognini.