Alcaraz in Vienna instead of Basel: "We can't compete with that"

Carlos Alcaraz graces the Erste Bank Open at the Vienna Stadthalle for the second time since 2021.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion has accepted a wildcard after the "Six Kings Slam" was postponed to December due to security concerns. The exhibition tournament in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh was supposed to take place from October 21 to 24.

"Everything happened very quickly, and Carlos agreed to play in Vienna without much hesitation. This is a great honor for our tournament," says Vienna's tournament director Herwig Straka.

Basel misses out despite "Gentleman's Agreement"

The concurrently held Swiss Indoors Basel thus misses out.

The superstar last competed at the ATP 500 tournament in Switzerland in 2022; since then, there was reportedly a "Gentleman's Agreement," Basel's tournament director Roger Brennwald revealed to "Blick" last year.

This agreement stated that he would play in Basel again should he wish to compete at a tournament in the corresponding October slot. Alcaraz evidently did not adhere to this.

Brennwald takes this sportingly in an interview with "Blick": "If Jannik Sinner pulls out of Vienna, then I assume a larger financial sum becomes available again. We can't compete with that."