Schnitzel With The Stars

Too many cooks in the kitchen? Not when the ATP World Tour stars in Vienna for the Erste Bank Open 500 swapped their tennis gear for chef hats and aprons as they learned to make the perfect Wiener Schnitzel.

David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez, Lucas Pouille, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan took their places behind the stovetops in an exclusive cooking class at the Plachuttas Gasthaus Zut Oper. The pros donned their personalised aprons and hats and each took on a particular role in making the schnitzel: slicing the veal in a rainbow cut, pounding the meat, covering it in flour and seasoning, dipping it in beaten eggs and bread crumbs, then finally deep frying and serving up the meal.

“I never did this before,” said Ferrer. “It’s difficult but it’s nice. It was a good experience. Maybe in the future I can cook it.”

“It was cool that they got us all decked out in chef gear,” said Bob Bryan, who taste-tested his own schnitzel. “It didn’t make us better chefs but we looked good.”

“My wife’s going to be very proud of me for cooking a meal… she’s going to be ecstatic when she sees this,” added Mike Bryan.

The players were all given certificates to celebrate their cooking class and were invited to stay for a special three course dinner along with their family and friends. No confirmation on whether or not the courses included their personally made Wiener Schnitzel!

But Lopez ultimately ended his experience optimistically, saying “I wish I could be the best cook in the world because I love food.”