Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz “play” at the Wiener Staatsoper

Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz are more than accustomed to playing leading roles on the world’s biggest tennis stages, but on Sunday afternoon the two ATP Tour stars accompanied Erste Bank Tournament director Herwig Straka to a different  kind of centre stage, the Vienna State Opera.

The No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Zverev and No. 3 Alcaraz, who are both in the Austrian capital to compete at the Vienna ATP 500 event, played out a few rallies both on stage and on the grand staircase during a guided tour of the famous Wiener Staatsoper.

Vienna State Opera director Bogdan Roscic guided Zverev and Alcaraz through the famous opera house on the city’s Ringstrasse (ringroad) giving the two tennis stars an insight into its rich history.

Zverev and Alcaraz took in the magnificent building, paused for a photo shoot on the stage, and then continued to the grand staircase, where they stopped to hit a few balls in the unique setting before visiting the Tea Salon and the central box.

“It is always impressive to visit famous opera houses, and I have now seen quite a few of them,” Zverev said.

Alcaraz was equally impressed: “It is a place steeped in history and truly impressive. I had never been inside an opera house before, so it is really exciting for me to see all of this and to be here. It is amazing to learn more about this historic venue and experience it from the inside.”

Originally opened in 1869 as the “Vienna Court Opera” in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth.

True to Viennese tradition, it’s very first opening night performance was Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

Story, video and photo courtesy of erstebank-open.com