Muster is Enjoying his Comeback Efforts and Will Continue

Written by: Staff on 27th October 2010

Muster is Enjoying his Comeback Efforts and Will Continue |

During the peak of Thomas Muster’s playing career in the mid 1990’s, when the Austrian won the French Open title became world no.1 and established a reputation as being the most brutally hard competitor on the ATP World Tour, his former manager Ronnie Leitgeb was never very far from the action.

The pair no longer have a relationship – Muster is managed by Herwig Straka who also happens to be tournament director of this week’s Austria Tennis Trophy in Vienna where many would say the 43 year-old former star made an ill-advised but nevertheless publicity grabbing main tour comeback.

Undeterred by a 6-2,7-6 first round beating by 157th-ranked fellow Austrian Andreas Haider-Maurer, there is no sign of regret but rather a determination to do better next time from Muster who never formally retired from top-flight professional tennis but said in 1999 he would go on a vacation.

However Leitgeb, a former ice dance champion who now manages current Austrian no.1 Jurgen Melzer along with Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko and leading Austrian swimmer Markus Rogan, is skeptical about his former charge’s comeback.

“I am really worrying that he might overdo it physically,” said Leitgeb. “He is at an age now with physiological borders, which you can’t and shouldn’t pass.”

Nevertheless Muster says he intends to carry on with his comeback and plans to play up to 20 events in 2011, mixing up second tier Challenger events with wild card entries on the main ATP World Tour. He made no comment on whether he intends to face opponents more his own age on the ATP Tour of Champions.

“I lost but I’m relieved,” he said after the defeat by Haider-Maurer. “I gave it my best effort and played well. I should have played more aggressively in the first set. A third set would have been great but well-done to Andreas.”

Muster became Austria’s most successful tennis player ever by winning 44 titles and holding the no.1 spot for six weeks. “I’m getting better every day, feeling the ball well, playing great shots, that still gives me a kick,” said the former champion who managed just one win in seven matches on the second-tier Challenger circuit this season.

“I won’t set my goals too high but will just play my best tennis and we’ll see where it brings me. Many players ask me if I want to train with them. That’s the biggest reward I could possibly get. Trying to get back to the main tour level is like completing a puzzle. There still are several pieces which have to fit in.”

So what do his ex-colleagues think of it all? Several are now competing on the ATP Champions Tour, which features former world number 1’s, Grand Slam finalists and Davis Cup winners. Well, they are supportive.

“If he wants to compete, why not?” said Kafelnikov, who beat Muster at the ATP Champions Tour event in the Algarve in August. “Whether he will succeed I don’t know, but he’s been a champion before. He knows how to win matches. If he prepares well, why can’t he win matches? My message to Thomas is ‘just enjoy yourself and good luck’.”

Guy Forget admires him for trying, saying, “You have to give him credit. He’s trying hard to see how good he can still be at this age. He’s trained really hard just to be able to deal with the new speed and violence of the game of playing with 25-year-old players and I’m sure his level has increased a lot. Will it be enough? We’ll find out soon.”

Pete Sampras, though, has strong reservations about the wisdom of what Muster is trying to do. “I admire the fact that he’s got himself in good enough shape to be able to do this, but to be realistic it’s going to be a stretch for him to compete with these guys at his age of 43,” he said.

Topics: Atp Tour, Atp World Tour, Austria Tennis, Best Effort, Comeback Efforts, Dance Champion, French Open Title, Haider, Jurgen Melzer, Markus Rogan, Maurer, Nikolay Davydenko, Professional Tennis, Ronnie Leitgeb, Straka, Tennis Player, Thomas Muster, Tour Of Champions, Tournament Director, Wild Card