The Kitzbuhel Open, also called the Austrian Open Kitzbuhel, is an ATP 250-level event played on clay courts. Usually, in July each season, the men’s competition is played at the Tennis stadium Kitzbuhel. The stadium is in the town of Kitzbühel in the Austrian Alps.
The Kitzbuhel Open has changed names several times in its 130-year history. Initially, the competition was called the Austrian International Championships between 1894 and 1968. During this time, the competition changed venues many times.
Some of the previous settings for the competition included Vienna, Salzburg, and Pörtschach. However, since 1969, the Austrian Open has been held in Kitzbuhel. Also, the Kitzbuhel Open has been upgraded and downgraded by the ATP.
In 1990, the tournament started as an ATP 250-level competition before it was upgraded to ATP 500 in 1999. Then, the event was relegated to ATP Challenger level in 2010 for one season before coming back as an ATP 250 tournament in 2010 - a status it has retained ever since.
Due to its ATP 250 event status, the Kitzbuhel Open hosts a 28-player singles draw and a 16-partner doubles competition across one week. Since the beginning of the Open Era in 1969, only a handful of players have won the event more than once.
Robin Haase, Alex Corretja, and Albert Costa have won the Kitzbuhel Open more than once, while Costa won the event three times. But former Argentinian Guillermo Vilas lifted the Kitzbuhel Open title a record four times between 1977 and 1983.
Also, only two Austrians have won in Kitzbuhel during the Open Era. Thomas Muster first won in 1993, before Dominic Thiem in 2019.
