Two top players were due to serve at the Swiss Open in Gstaad this week, but both were injured at Wimbledon. That still leaves three professionals from the top 20 and four Swiss players.
15.07.2024, 05:00
15.07.2024, 06:43
SDA
The organizers in the Bernese Oberland were delighted when they announced the field of participants for this year's 56th edition of the Swiss Open. With Hubert Hurkacz, number 7 in the ATP rankings, and world number nine Alex de Minaur, two top players were on the entry list. Thanks in part to the Olympic tennis tournament in Paris on clay, a top-class field was on the cards. However, the Olympics are both a blessing and a curse. Players with slight injuries will not want to take any risks so close to one of the highlights.
So both Hurkacz and De Minaur have now promptly canceled their participation. For both, however, it is more than a simple precautionary measure, as they both suffered injuries at Wimbledon. The Pole Hurkacz hit his knee hard when he dived for a ball, while the Australian De Minaur's hip hurt so badly that he had to declare a forfeit before his quarter-final against Novak Djokovic.
Tsitsipas as the figurehead
Even so, the field of players in Gstaad is still attractive. The top seed is the charismatic Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas (ATP 11), who has already reached the final at Roland Garros and the Australian Open. He is followed by Frenchman Ugo Humbert (ATP 16) and two-time Swiss Indoors winner Félix Auger-Aliassime (ATP 17) from Canada.
Roman Matteo Berrettini (ATP 59), who won the tournament in 2018 and only lost in the final in 2022, is always a welcome sight in the Bernese Oberland. They will be joined by Richard Gasquet and Dominic Thiem, two veterans who have also triumphed in Gstaad and will end their careers this year.
Veteran Wawrinka, youngster Stricker
Four Swiss players will also be competing, with the experienced Stan Wawrinka (ATP 95) and the youngster Dominic Stricker (ATP 149) playing for the first time on Tuesday. Wawrinka has big plans for what is sure to be his last Olympic Games. Stricker feels fit again after his persistent back problems, which put him out of action for six months. However, the 21-year-old from Bern is still looking for victories and self-confidence.
The other two Swiss players, Leandro Riedi (ATP 137) and Marc-Andrea Hüsler (ATP 229), will serve on the first day of the tournament thanks to wildcards.
