Among the major highlights of the “Champions of Vienna” campaign are the trophies of Erste Bank Open tournament ambassador Thomas Muster, which will be exhibited for the first time and auctioned off for a good cause. The 1995 French Open winner was present at the pre-opening in the Stadthalle and explained how the idea came about.

At the pre-opening on Tuesday evening, invited guests were given the opportunity to see the “Official Tennis Experience” for themselves. Former tennis players such as Jürgen Melzer, Stefan Koubek, Andreas Haider-Maurer, Alexander Peya and Clemens Trimmel were just as enthusiastic as greats from other sports, including Marc Janko (soccer), Clemens Doppler (beach volleyball) and Olympic athlete Markus Fuchs (athletics). They all marveled at the top-class exhibits - the largest crowd formed in front of the “Coupe des Mousquetaires”, which is presented to the winner of the men's singles at the French Open. In 1995, Thomas Muster was the first Austrian to triumph at a Grand Slam tournament in Paris; 29 years later, the trophy can be viewed up close for the first time and even bought at auction.

“On the one hand, it's a good thing because 50 years of tennis are being celebrated in Vienna. On the other hand, you come to a point in life when you think about what you do with the trophies. I myself carry the successes and emotions with me. The successes also include the trophies, behind which are sweat, anger, joy and many other emotions. When I had the trophies in my hand again, many things came back to me. Now my trophies are going to someone who may have been watching at the time, and you can do something good at the same time,” says Thomas Muster. “It's not so easy to give it all away, because there are a lot of emotions and memories behind the trophies.” The trophies will be auctioned off during the “Official Tennis Experience” via the Aurena platform (www.aurena.at) and, at Muster's request, the sum of all the exhibits will be donated to the Ö3 Christmas miracle, where the money will benefit the LICHT INS DUNKEL emergency aid fund and thus families in need.

The “Official Tennis Experience” not only shows the trophies, it also looks back on the last 50 years of tennis in Vienna. Muster: “There are lots of other things, everything has been beautifully prepared. It was certainly a lot of work to put it all together and get it ready. I was a player in the Stadthalle in the 80s and 90s, and then I played my last match against Dominic. It's amazing how things have developed. You can experience this journey through time here, it's unique.”