GRAZ, February 28, 2025 (via Press Release)
The countdown for Sebastian Ofner’s return to competitive tennis is on! Austria’s No. 1 player is set to make his comeback in mid-March at the ATP Challenger tournament in Murcia, Spain. Alongside his return to the court, Ofner is also making a fresh start in another area—his management. The 28-year-old announced on Friday that the e|motion group, led by Herwig Straka, will now oversee his career. The announcement was made during a media event at his sponsor OMNi-BiOTiC® at the Institut AllergoSan in Graz.
Last fall, Ofner underwent surgery on both heels, which kept him off the court for several months. Following his recovery, he initially focused on fitness training before gradually resuming tennis practice in December. “At first, I trained only once a week in Bruck with Steve Rettl, then gradually increased the workload. For the past six weeks, I’ve been training full-time with Wolfgang Thiem in Traiskirchen and have already played some points again. Regarding pain, I definitely have more good days than bad ones,” Ofner explained.
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His comeback schedule includes four ATP Challenger tournaments in Spain, starting on March 17 in Murcia, followed by Girona, Menorca, and Madrid. “I need a lot of matches to find my rhythm again, which is crucial in tennis. However, if things go very well in one or two events, I might skip a week to manage my workload effectively,” said Ofner. He is also considering using his protected ranking for entry into ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Madrid or Rome. The Austrian has nine opportunities to use his protected ranking of World No. 74 over the next nine months to enter tournaments where his current ATP ranking would not allow direct entry.
While Steve Rettl will continue as his touring coach, a significant change comes with his new management team, as e|motion group takes over. “I’m looking forward to working with Herwig Straka and the e|motion group. We both have important roles—mine on the court and his in management,” Ofner said with a smile. “Jokes aside, Herwig is a well-respected expert in the international tennis world, and I’m excited to see how our partnership will unfold.”
Herwig Straka also expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration: “We are entering an exciting new phase. Our job at e|motion group is to support Sebastian in every way possible so that he can fully focus on achieving his athletic goals.”
