Well, like I said in my teaser, it was actually three months ago, in Madrid, that I was wondering how I’d survive so long without live tennis. Once you’ve experienced tennis in person, it’s hard to go back to a 144p livestream or to not being able to watch doubles at all.
I couldn’t bear the thought of not having anything planned. I have this weird habit of booking my next trip while I’m already on one. So, in Lisbon, my dad called me.
“The flight to Munich is €30. Do you want it?” And I said, “How can you even ask me such a question and thinking I’d say no?”
We had a little debate about whether I should go, considering it’s his birthday while I’m away, but unfortunately accountant life doesn’t really allow him to celebrate on the actual day (one more reason why I dread accounting and all its deadlines…). So, of course, he booked it, I booked the trip back, and here I am after 90 days of waiting.
(Yes, I counted.)
Day 1 • Monday, 20 July
A Delayed Start & A First Taste of Munich
It’s 10:16. As always, I’m at the airport far too early when I look up at the departures board.
Delayed. 45 minutes. Which slowly turned into two hours of waiting… (Started well?)
The 11:35 departure eventually became 13:30 because the aircraft was coming from the Milan–Bucharest route, which apparently always has delays. So, little note if you’re planning to fly through Milan… keep that in mind.
I finally landed at Memmingen Airport, where I grabbed a coffee and a muffin from Coffee Fellows, a Munich-founded coffee chain, while waiting for the Allgäu Airport Shuttle into the city. (cheapest and easiest option)
Once I arrived in Munich, I took the underground to Hotel Wetterstein (room tour). It’s a nice hotel with good prices in the east of Munich and really well connected to the city centre, only four underground stops from Marienplatz. I had booked a single room, freshened up a bit, and headed straight back out.
It was my first time in Germany, and in Munich, and I really liked the vibe. I love walking around cities and admiring different architecture, and I definitely have a soft spot for Bavarian architecture.
While wandering around looking for somewhere to eat, the place I’d originally planned to try had a queue stretching outside. It’s called Noah’s Pizzeria , so if you have better luck than me, definitely check it out.
I kept walking until I spotted another restaurant whose name immediately caught my attention because it was my late grandfather’s name. I took that as a sign and went in. (Looking back, I think that was the first sign this trip was going to mean a lot more than just tennis.)
Bernis Nudelbrett is apparently quite well known among the locals, and I can definitely see why. They served a really good pizza, the service was lovely, and I got to try German beer for the first time.
After another walk around Marienplatz and seeing the famous cathedral, I headed back to the hotel to get some rest before the next day.
Not a bad way to spend my first evening in Germany?
Day 2 • Tuesday, 21 July
First Day in Kitzbühel
8:30. I left the hotel and took the X30 bus to Ostbahnhof (Munich East), where I was supposed to catch my train to Kitzbühel. Once I got there, I experienced… you guessed it… my first Deutsche Bahn delay. Thirty minutes.
And, of course, I missed my connection to Kitzbühel…at least, I had coffee and Laugenbrezel though.
(Off to a great start, wasn’t I?)
After another 25-minute delay, I finally arrived in Kitzbühel. I was in absolute awe of the views… and I even spotted Ion Ţiriac. =))
Originally, I wasn’t even planning on going to the tournament that day. The plan was to explore the town, take the cable car up the mountain, and properly enjoy my first afternoon there. Well… I definitely learnt that things don’t always go to plan.
I was in a rush because one of my favourite doubles teams, Sander Gillé and Sem Verbeek, were playing. If you don’t really follow doubles, they’re definitely a team to keep an eye on. They’ve won six titles since teaming up last year and, besides being brilliant on court, they’re genuinely some of the nicest people on tour, along with their coach, Maxime.
I still had 10 kilos on my back, so after the match I headed to the hotel to finally check in.
Kitzbühel is one of the most famous and exclusive ski resorts in the world, so, unsurprisingly, the prices aren’t the friendliest. If you’re travelling on a budget, I’d definitely recommend staying in one of the nearby municipalities instead.
I stayed at Ferienhotel Alpenhof in Aurach bei Kitzbühel, and I honestly couldn’t have picked a better place.
From the moment I arrived, everyone made me feel welcome, especially the lady on reception, Linen. It did not feel like one of those hotels where you simply check in, sleep, and leave. It felt like visiting your family. Sitting down for breakfast every morning, chatting with the staff, the cosy atmosphere, the homemade food… It genuinely felt like home.
And honestly, being just a short bus ride from Kitzbühel meant I could enjoy the town during the day while saving on accommodation. The hotel was only about five minutes from the tournament by bus, which made getting there incredibly easy.
If you’re planning a trip to Kitzbühel, I’d definitely recommend downloading the KitzSki – Kitzbühel Get Around app. It has pretty much everything you need: live weather, public transport, live timetables, hiking trails, parking information, maps, and even the option to buy tickets.
A one-way bus ticket cost €3.10. If you don’t buy your ticket through the app, you’ll usually need cash when boarding. Out of the six buses I took, only one accepted card, so it’s definitely worth planning ahead.
Back to the Generali Open, I got to see home player Sebastian Ofner, currently ranked 124 with a career-high of 37, against Slovakia’s Alex Molčan, who’s had an amazing year so far. This time last year, he was ranked 644 and now he’s made his way back into the Top 100, sitting at 74 at the time of this post.
Before the last singles match of the day, Germany’s Daniel Altmaier faced Raphaël Collignon from Belgium, both Top 50 players. Meanwhile, over on the Grandstand Court, the doubles put on quite a show: German/Dutch duo Frantzen/Haase against home hero Neil Oberleitner and his partner Petr Nouza.
Which left me with about two hours to finally explore Kitzbühel and see a bit more of the town and its beauty.
Day 3 • Wednesday, 22 July
Guten Morgen! (woke up feeling österreichisch)
Earl Grey tea in hand, I started the morning writing this blog before getting the bus back into Kitzbühel.
I started the day watching future Kitzbühel champion and first-time ATP Tour champion Quentin Halys against Valentin Vacherot. It finished 6-3, 6-4 for the Frenchman and minus one racquet for the Monégasque.
Second match of the day was this year’s Bucharest champion Mariano Navone against Jan-Lennard Struff. Navone was in really good form and, having seen him win the title in Bucharest earlier this year, I was obviously rooting for him.
I might have said a very quiet “vamos” while pretty much everyone around me was cheering for the German… and also got bullied by a German man sitting near me for pretty much the entire match. Thankfully, Mariano wasn’t making enough mistakes to give him too many opportunities. =))
Oopsie.
And in the end, I got the result I wanted. Nave won.
Between matches, I walked around some of the tennis shops at the tournament and bought a cap for my father, whose birthday happened to be that exact day, 22 July, and which I was unfortunately missing. At least I wasn’t coming home empty-handed, right?
Then it was back to Centre Court for Tomás Martín Etcheverry against Austria’s Jurij Rodionov. With a home player on court, the atmosphere was obviously going to be good, and it definitely felt like a show and it was one of those matches where the atmosphere around the court becomes just as much a part of the experience as the tennis itself.
Unfortunately for the home crowd (and me), though, the atmosphere wasn’t quite enough. Etcheverry took the win.
After that, I did some more wandering around, enjoyed a Spritz, won a pair of socks from Lexus and, perhaps most importantly, found out my serve is 111 km/h.
And then it was finally time for the match I’d been waiting for all day: Austria’s Lucas Miedler and his Australian partner Marc Polmans against Czech duo Adam Pavlásek and Patrik Rikl.
And if you haven’t noticed by now, by the end of this trip I’d become a pretty big fan of the Austrians and the Austrian Tennis Federation. They were the first federation I saw actually speak up about the ATP’s plans to cut doubles, and from what I’ve seen, they also do a really good job of promoting their rising stars.
I wish I could say I wasn’t fangirling over this doubles match, but I’d be lying. I don’t actually get to fangirl that often anymore. I’m usually either working and in professional mode, or I’m lucky enough to know some of the players I’m watching, something I’ll always feel incredibly honoured and grateful for. So it was actually quite nice to just be a fan for once.
If there’s one big reason I travel to tennis tournaments, it’s because I absolutely love watching doubles. It’s such a shame that so many of these matches aren’t available to stream because people don’t get the chance to discover just how exciting doubles can be.
I always compare it, depending on who’s playing, to either watching the circus or the theatre. =)
This match was probably a mix of both, and I genuinely feel bad for everyone who wasn’t there. Besides the amazing atmosphere from the Austrian crowd, the tennis from both teams was incredible. But obviously, I had my favourites. I’d already missed a few opportunities to watch Miedler play before, so I was very, very happy to finally be there.
If you know me, or you’ve seen me at matches before, you probably know I have two wolves in me. There’s the very quiet, poker-faced, professional one that comes from working in sport and being used to sitting through matches without showing any emotion.
Thankfully, I wasn’t working. So I let the other wolf out.
I cheered, I screamed and, thankfully, Miedler/Polmans won 6-3, 7-6.
(Might’ve screamed a little… if you saw my stories, you know. =)))
And it got even better. Later that week, they lifted the trophy, their second consecutive title after winning Gstaad, having only paired up after Wimbledon.
Honestly, an amazing way to end my Kitzbühel adventure.
Before I wrap up, I have to give the Generali Open 5 stars because, from the tournaments I’ve been to so far, it genuinely has to be one of the best.
The organisation, the atmosphere, the people, the location, everything just works. Even the food was really good, which I somehow haven’t mentioned until now. I had a traditional Waldviertler both days and it was so good that I didn’t even manage to take a photo or talk about it. I basically inhaled it. =))
And honestly, I think every tennis fan should experience a tournament like Kitzbühel at least once in their life. Actually, I’d encourage you to attend smaller tournaments in general.
Everyone immediately thinks of the Grand Slams when they think about travelling for tennis, and obviously, they’re an incredible experience. But bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. They’re much more expensive, there are thousands of people everywhere and, despite being surrounded by so much tennis, you don’t always feel that close to the action.
At smaller tournaments, it’s different. You can move between courts easier, watch players from just a few metres away, discover matches and players you might never have watched otherwise, and actually experience the tournament rather than feeling like you’re watching it all from a distance. There’s something much more personal about it.
And Kitzbühel adds the Alps, an incredible atmosphere and a town you can walk around between matches, so… what more could I ask for?
Safe to say, I’ll definitely be back.
I walked around for a little longer afterwards, already reminiscing about the time I’d spent there. I have to admit that, at the beginning, I was a little anxious. A solo trip to Austria, going to a tennis tournament alone… there are so many moments when it’s easy to think, “Oh well, I have no one to go with, so I just won’t go.”
But then so many memories would’ve never happened.
And if this trip taught me anything, well… it taught me a lot of things. But if I have to leave you guys an advice is: don’t miss out on things just because you’d have to do them alone. Go alone. Do it scared.
And who says I was alone anyway?
I wasn’t. There were the people I met along the way.
Because at the end of the day, you can feel alone in a room with 100 people, or you can choose to be on your own, go somewhere, and meet people along the way. ❤️
And well… I packed my bags, finished writing this blog and went to sleep, knowing I had to wake up early because I had a train and a plane to catch.
But would I actually catch them? That’s way too much chaos for one blog. =)
To be continued…
I’ve added my Google Maps recommendations below with the places I stayed, ate, visited and a few useful spots I found along the way.
So, who’s coming to Kitzbühel with me next year? 👀🇦🇹🎾
