His career end is approaching, but before Dominic Thiem in the Vienna Stadthalle, the Lower Austrian still has a lot to do. In the week before the Stadthalle tournament, the former US Open winner will play in a UTS exhibition tournament in Frankfurt. There he will meet Alex de Minaur (AUS), on the 19th on his compatriot Nick Kyrgios and on the same day in the evening against US Open semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe (USA). The semifinals and the final will be played on October 20th.
But first, Thiem will venture into unfamiliar territory – on Saturday in the Generali Arena, when the Vienna Vikings fight against the Paris Musketeers for a place in the final of the European League of Football (3.15 p.m./live on ORF+).
But don’t worry, Thiem won’t be wearing a helmet. The self-professed football fan will do the coin toss, and an emotional farewell video is also planned. Afterwards, he will be in the stands as a noble fan, crossing his fingers for the Vikings. Together with up to 12,000 fans, who are expected to be there. That would make it one of the biggest football games that Austria has ever seen.
Vikings-Quarterback Ben Holmes
“It’s going to be fun,” says quarterback Ben Holmes, looking forward to the “great atmosphere.” In sporting terms, the Viennese are going into the match as favorites. For the second time in a row, they advanced to the play-offs undefeated – the first ELF team ever to do so. Coach Chris Calaycay is happy to accept the role of favorite: “We’re going into the match with confidence. We’ve earned number one status.”
If the Vikings manage to achieve their goal, an even bigger game awaits them. The final against the winner of the Stuttgart Surge vs. Rhein Fire duel will take place on September 22nd at Schalke. More than 35,000 tickets have been sold so far.
