Carlos Alcaraz deemed ‘too expensive’ for Vienna Open as appearance fee revealed

Carlos Alcaraz’s requested appearance fee made him “too expensive” to appear at next week’s Vienna Open ATP 500 tournament, according to a report.
The 20-year-old Spaniard was set to appear at the other ATP 500 tournament to be played next week, having entered the Swiss Indoors in Basel instead of Vienna.
The two-time Grand Slam champion has, though, withdrawn from the event due to a left foot injury and muscle fatigue to his lower back.
Vienna Open tournament director Herwig Straka explained he opted for “density” with the depth of top players at the event, rather than paying the hefty fee for Alcaraz, in an interview with Der Standard.
According to the article on the Austrian publication, the world No 2 “only picks up the racket from 750,000 euros” and was considered “too expensive” by Straka.
The ATP 500 tournament still features a very strong draw, with 12 of the top 20 players in the ATP Rankings set to feature. Top 10 stars Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Alexander Zverev will all be in action in Austria.
Straka explained that updating the Wiener Stadthalle venue for the ATP 500 tournament, such as making the court brighter and installing new lighting, has been challenging but necessary to improve the event.
“Due to inflation, costs have increased. It’s time-consuming, but you reach new target groups,” outlined Straka.
Straka also admitted he thought that the retirement of Roger Federer and upcoming farewell of Rafael Nadal would hurt the tennis market, but has been surprised.
“The opposite has happened. Interest has grown because there are several interesting types. It will be tough for small tournaments that stars can’t afford. In general, men’s tennis is better positioned than women’s tennis,” he said.
“The successes of Austrians are at best the cherry on the cake. Once you have reached a certain size, there is no alternative to growth. You have to invest, come up with something new. And you have to ensure that the starting field remains world-class.”
Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe, Karen Khachanov, Grigor Dimitrov, Cameron Norrie, Ben Shelton and Lorenzo Musetti are the other top 20 players who will compete in Vienna. Home favourite and former US Open champion Dominic Thiem will also feature after being given a wildcard.
READ MORE: ‘These errors or declines in tournaments will not happen to Carlos Alcaraz in coming years’