In March a year ago, demolition of the old tennis hall near the Danube and construction began. It was possible to train before the turn of the year. Now all the important building blocks have been put together. “The result is a modern tennis center, which includes an athletics area with a gym, massage, as well as physiotherapy and event facilities,” say club spokesmen Schutti and Pilsl. Among other things, the players are enthusiastic about the hard court in the new hall, which is set up like the one at the US Open in New York. In addition, the outdoor spaces have been covered with an air dome. “This means we can offer excellent conditions on clay and hard court all year round. From an international perspective, these are the most important surfaces,” say Schutti and Pilsl. The Danubis tennis center is a milestone in the club’s history: in 2012, Union Mauthausen became the men’s state champion, followed eight years later by the Bundesliga title: “Our tennis center aims to serve top-level sport in the long term. Everyone, from talent to Bundesliga players, but also hobby players, should feel welcome and find themselves at Danubis,” says Pilsl.
Perfect teamwork: across clubs and without community boundaries
“It’s really great tennis, what was created here and is still being created,” said Economics and Sports Councilor Markus Achleitner. “The team is doing an incredibly great job, bringing many strong sponsors from business on board. The Sportland Oberösterreich is on board as a strong partner.” Together with the Coach Support Center in the Olympic Center Upper Austria under Head Gebhard Gritsch and in cooperation with the Talent Center Upper Austria and the Tennis Association, a sustainable talent factory with a special, additional focus on the further development of their coaches emerge. SPÖ sports spokesman Lindner also emphasizes the cooperation – across clubs and without community borders: “Union and ASKÖ share free spaces here side by side, several communities such as St. Georgen/Gusen, Langenstein and Mauthausen work together. This is how something big happens in a region,” says Lindner. The municipal department of State Councilor Birgit Gerstorfer has also made a cooperation bonus possible in the funding. The overall project also receives a lot of backing from the market town of Mauthausen and Mayor Thomas Punkenhofer – with football, an outdoor pool, a school with table tennis and, of course, tennis, there is a great sports center.
Focus already on the 1st ATP tournament for over 20 years in Upper Austria
Bundesliga tennis will continue to be a focus at the Mauthausen tennis center. In addition, the vision is also to organize top national and international tournaments in Mauthausen. The Danube Upper Austria Open from May 2nd to 8th is a fixed part of the ATP calendar. Here, too, a double is successfully played. The agency Champ Events (Florian Leitgeb), the Austrian Tennis Association, the host association Union Stein&Co Mauthausen as well as the Sportland OÖ and OÖ-Tourism are also on board. “As a state councilor for sports, I am very pleased that after more than 20 years a top-class, international men’s tournament is finally being held in our state,” said state councilor Achleitner: “The Danube Upper Austria Open is perfect for Upper Austria. Enthusiasm for tennis in our federal state is great. We have around 356 clubs with around 40,000 members. The sport of tennis has experienced a tremendous upswing.”
