He is therefore the first Austrian since Richard Bergmann in 1937 to win the World Championship Singles.[4] That year, he was voted Austrian Sportsman of the Year and selected in China as "The most popular foreign sportsman". In 2009, Schlager founded the Werner Schlager Academy in Schwechat close to Vienna, a training centre which is also home to clubs SVS Niederösterreich and SVS Ströck.[5]