Innsbruck-Tirol welcomes the Davis Cup

Last updated on 17.11.2021

Next week from 25 until 30 November, the eyes of the tennis world will turn to Innsbruck as the city hosts the prestigous Davis Cup. Some of the globe’s top tennis stars are set to go head-to-head in Tirol at this event where countries compete in a knock-out format. Among those taking to the court will be current ATP number one Novak Djokovic, whose will be representing Serbia against opponents including host nation Austria.

Tirol has, in fact, already hosted Davis Cup matches on five separate occasions in the past, but 2021 will be the first time it welcomes the Davis Cup Finals – a new format created two years ago – with several Group Stage games and one Quarter Final taking place in Innsbruck. Tennis fans can look forward to seeing some of the best players from France, Great Britain und the Czech Republic (Group C) as well as from Serbia, Austria and Germany (Group F). The winners will advance to the grand final in Madrid in early December, so there’s a good chance that spectators in Innsbruck will get to see the 2021 Davis Cup champions in action. Due to the Lockdown from Monday 22.11.2021, the Davis Cup will take place without spectators. More Information on the current regulations can be found at: www.welcome.tirol

International tennis elite in Innsbruck
While many fans will be looking forward to seeing ATP number one Novak Djokovic, who will be competing for Serbia against Austria and Germany, there are also plenty of other established and up-and-coming stars on court over the five days. Great Britain will be represented by Cameron Norrie and Daniel Evans, two players ranked among the world’s top 30, while Jan Lennard Struff and Dominik Koepfer will be flying the flag for Germany. France’s charge will be led by world number 35, Ugo Humbert. The matches are sure to be hard-fought affairs – not least the rivalry between Austria and Germany. The Austrians will be keen to finally get revenge for their Davis Cup defeat to Germany back in 1994 in Unterpremstätten, when Austria’s Thomas Muster and Germany’s Michael Stich battled it out in an epic five-set match eventually won by Muster – though it was Germany that emerged victorious from the tie. That is precisely what makes the Davis Cup such an interesting format: it turns tennis, usually an individual sport, into a team affair.

Tirol – number one sports destination in the Alps
The Heart of the Alps, as Tirol is known, has a long and proud tradition when it comes to hosting international sporting events. The region has welcomed Olympic Games on three separate occasions. Some of the most recent elite events to have taken place here include the IFSC Climbing World Championships, the UCI Road Cyling World Championships and the Winter World Masters Games in 2020. The region has over 80 ski resorts with more than 5,000 kilometres of pistes, ranging from easy beginners’ slopes to the most challenging of black runs. Away from the pistes, winter walks and snowshoe hikes offer an opportunity to discover the peace and beauty of Tirol at a slower pace. There are also 4,000 kilometres of well-maintained cross-country skiing trails across the region.

Innsbruck – a fusion of urban and alpine
The Davis Cup venue Innsbruck proves how well nature and experience can be combined: like no other city, it combines urban life and alpine flair. It takes just 20 minutes to travel from the city centre up into the mountains, where the Seegrube ski area awaits at almost 2,000 metres above sea level. This accessibility of the Alps is possible thanks to the Nordkettenbahnen, a series of funiculars and cable cars from the city into the Alps. The eye-catching buildings where passengers get on and off were designed by the world-famous architect Zaha Hadid, who also redesgined the iconic Bergisel ski jump in the south of the city in 2001.