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10/24/10 8:13 PM | Ricky Dimon
Jurgen Melzer aims to defend his title this week in Vienna, but he will be overshadowed by a different Austrian early in the tournament. Thomas Muster, 43, is making a return to the ATP Tour.
More than 11 years after his last tour-level appearance, 43-year-old Thomas Muster returns to the ATP circuit this week for the Bank Austria Tennis Trophy. The former world No. 1 will open against fifth-seeded Ernests Gulbis, who is almost twice as young as Muster at 22 years old.
Muster has, however, played seven matches this season on the Challenger Tour. The 982nd-ranked Austrian owns a 1-6 record having defeated Borut Puc in Ljubljana, Slovenia. "For me it is an honor to be able to play here," said the veteran, who obviously received a wild card into the main draw. "I know that I cannot show my full potential just yet. I’m on the right path, but I will have to wait until spring next year to be able to judge my return."
As for the serious contenders, fellow Austrian Jurgen Melzer returns to defend his title. The world No. 12 is in he midst of his best season on tour at 29 years old and has an outside shot at the World Tour Finals. Melzer is in a relatively soft section of the draw and his path to the quarterfinals could include James Blake and Philipp Kohlschreiber.
By contrast, No. 2 seed Marin Cilic--who lost to Melzer in the 2009 final--is in dismal form. The 6'6'' Croat could be challenged by either Gulbis or Andreas Seppi in the bottom quarter.
Among the players looking to maintain fine form in Vienna are Marcos Baghdatis and Florian Mayer. Both men finished runner-up on Sunday; Baghdatis in Moscow (lost to Viktor Troicki) and Mayer in Stockholm (lost to Roger Federer). Nicolas Almagro has a first-round bye along with Melzer, Cilic, and Baghdatis, but the Spaniard has won just a single match since the U.S. Open.
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