The tennis pro eats with difficulty on the ATP tour, especially in the smaller tournaments. And so Dominic Thiem's only victory in the 250 in Metz and the four the week before in Rennes in the world rankings have had a positive impact, but next Monday the Austrian will still be around position 171. There wasn't much to be gained for Thiem against Hubert Hurkacz, the Pole is becoming a little bit of a feared opponent. All three games so far have gone to Hurkacz.

The prospects before meeting number two in Metz were basically not bad. If you take match practice as a basis. While Thiem had already warmed up in France, Hurkacz's last match was a few days ago: The world ranking tenth made his last appearance at the US Open. The fact that the end in New York had already come in round two against Ilya Ivashka cannot have been good for Hurkacz. Especially after he failed at Wimbledon as one of the favorites right at the start due to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Thiem wants to be in the top 100

Daniil Medvedev had to find out what a longer match break can do after Dominic Thiem's appearance: The Russian, who only won a title in Los Cabos this season, lost to Stan Wawrinka in three sets.

Thiem is now continuing in Tel Aviv. The competition there will be even better than in Metz, at least at the top. Because Novak Djokovic, although no longer the official industry leader, will make his comeback on the ATP tour. The last match where points were at stake for the Serb was actually the quarter-finals in Roland Garros, which Djokovic lost to Rafael Nadal. As is well known, the man from Belgrade is playing at the Laver Cup this weekend, ATP points are not awarded there. A first-round duel in Tel Aviv with Thiem is out of the question, Djokovic will enjoy a bye in the 28 grid as a tournament favorite. Just like the next in line Diego Schwartzman, Marin Cilic and Botic van de Zandschulp.

Dominic Thiem is currently missing 220 ATP points in 100th place in the ATP charts, i.e. a win in a 250 or participation in the final in a 500. Difficult but not impossible. And a two-digit place in the table, which Dominic Thiem himself has set as a goal for the end of the year, is essential with regard to participation in the Australian Open. The second way to get a fixed place in the 128 grid would be a wildcard like at the US Open. And that wouldn't be so far off the mark for a former Melbourne finalist.