Muster可能參加維也納的比賽 - 網球 Tennis

剛在月初度過43歲生日的前球王Muster，
確定拿到下週維也納男網賽的外卡。
他將會是近十年來首位年逾40歲仍參加ATP巡迴賽級正賽的球員。
之前一位超過40歲參加ATP巡迴賽級的球員是Jimmy Connors。

他今年從六月底起已參加了六項挑戰賽，全都是在他強項紅土，
但復出至今只曾取得一勝，現今排名第982位。

Muster To Make ATP World Tour Return In Vienna

Former World No. 1 Thomas Muster will make his return to the ATP World Tour
for the first time in more than a decade as a wild card at next week's Bank
Austria TennisTrophy in Vienna.

Muster, who celebrated his 43rd birthday earlier this month, will be the
first player aged 40 and over to compete in a tour-level main draw since a
43-year-old Jimmy Connors played in Atlanta in 1996. Connors won his last ATP
World Tour match in June 1995 at Halle.

"I'm looking forward to it enormously," Muster told Austria's Krone. "I want
to inspire the crowd with my fitness and fighting spirit. I'm fighting like
in the good old times and I will give everything in front of the fans in
Vienna."

Muster made his last tour-level appearance in June 1999 at Roland Garros –
the site of his lone Grand Slam triumph in 1995 – and bowed out to Nicolas
Lapentti in the first round. His last match win on the ATP World Tour came
against Thomas Johansson two months earlier at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.

The Leibnitz-native has contested the Bank Austria TennisTrophy on 13
occasions and reached the final three times (1998, 1993, 1995). He made his
debut at the ATP World Tour 250 indoor hard-court tournament in October 1984
as a 17 year old ranked No. 381 in world, and made a second-round exit on his
last appearance 12 years ago (l. to Rusedski).

Muster, a winner of 44 tour-level titles, returned to professional tennis
earlier this year, compiling a 1-6 record at ATP Challenger Tour events. He
re-entered the South African Airways ATP Rankings for the first time since
May 2000 after defeating Borut Puc in the first round of the Ljubljana
Challenger in September.

Muster has played on the ATP Champions Tour since 2003, and also captained
the Austrian Davis Cup team from 2004-06.

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