When the center court was inaugurated at noon, Vice Chancellor and minister of sports Werner Kogler was shown around the event location. He exchanged views with the two Austrian padel players Anna Schmid and Rainhard Boisits, and after a guided tour with tournament director Dominik Beier and Herwig Straka, Kogler also met Marc Janko, who serves as tournament ambassador at the Steffl Arena.
"You have to give a lot of praise to the organizers of the BOSS Vienna Padel Open. What has been put on here to give a stage to a young, up-and-coming sport is great. Padel is considered a trend sport, but the trend has come to stay, in my opinion. Because this sport can be played by old and young, men and women alike. The international level that you can marvel at is breathtaking. As a former amateur tennis player, I am particularly impressed by the speed, the rallies are more than spectacular," says Kogler.
Tournament director Dominik Beier was delighted with the visit: "It's a good sign when the vice chancellor and minister of sports finds his way to our arena despite his busy schedule. He was well informed and very interested - this shows that padel has now arrived in Austria and enjoys a certain status. And that we are doing a lot right with the BOSS Vienna Padel Open."