ATP: Dominic Thiem opens in HalleWestfalen
Dominic Thiem actually wanted to limit his lawn season to one appearance in Wimbledon. Now the 2020 US Open champion has also given his commitment for the tournament in HalleWestfalen.
by p.m
last edit: May 17, 2023, 02:33 pm
"Absolute world class from the first day of the tournament": The ATP Tour 500 tournament in HalleWestfalen shows that this statement is not an empty promise with the commitment of Andrey Rublev, the current number six in the world and the former Grand Slam champion Dominic Thiem . The 25-year-old from Moscow is already the sixth player from the "Bel Floor" of world tennis to fight for the title from June 17th to 25th at the 30th anniversary of the German lawn classic. "I've said it many times, but this field of participants is really the best we've ever had," says Ralf Weber (tournament director and managing partner OWL ARENA) enthusiastically about the new top commitment and emphasizes: "Anyone who doesn't have tickets yet , should strike fast now!”
Andrey Rublev is not only the absolute crowd favorite on the ATP Tour, but has also established himself in the top ten in the world rankings since the end of 2020. That year, the man with the pounding groundstrokes won his first 1000 tournament in Monte Carlo, his 13th career title. A short time later he also triumphed in doubles at his first event in this category - in Madrid alongside compatriot and friend Karen Khachanov. Rublev was also very successful in East Westphalia. In 2021 he made it to the final, but lost there to the sensational surprise man Ugo Humbert from France. "Halle is always firmly planned in my tournament calendar, I feel extremely comfortable here. The organization and the atmosphere are fantastic,” says Rublev.
Thiem in Halle for the fifth time
With Austria's Dominic Thiem, a former Grand Slam winner is also returning to HalleWestfalen: the winner of the US Open 2020 and long-standing top ten player will be making his fifth guest appearance at the 500 event in East Westphalia this year after appearances from 2015 to 2018. "I'm looking forward to competing in one of my absolute favorite tournaments on the tour," said Thiem (ATP 96), for whom the best result in East Westphalia was the semifinals in 2016 (defeat against Florian Mayer).
For the 29-year-old from Vienna, the current season marks another step on his comeback mission. After Thiem had already won 17 individual titles by 2020 - including the Grand Slam event in the "Big Apple" - and had also reached the final twice at the French Open (each losing to clay court champion Rafael Nadal), the Austrian was not only considered as "Prince of Clay", but also as a hot contender for the top position in world tennis. However, a tear in the tendon sheath in the batting hand in June 2021 led to a lengthy break and, as a result, to a descent in the ranking. His comeback was also sluggish at first, but Thiem has now fought his way back into the top 100 and is increasingly showing on the court what once made him a feared top player. "It's incredibly difficult to get back to the old level after an injury. But I know that Dominic works hard and I trust him to get back to his old performances in a timely manner, ”said Weber about the start of the former number three in the world.
In addition to Rublev and Thiem, the following stars have already confirmed their attendance: Daniil Medvedev (ATP 3), Casper Ruud (ATP 4), Stefanos Tsitsipas (ATP 5), Jannik Sinner (ATP 8), Felix Auger-Aliassime (ATP 10), Karen Khachanov (ATP 11), Hubert Hurkacz (ATP 15), Alexander Zverev (ATP 22), Nick Kyrgios (ATP 26), Jan-Lennard Struff (ATP 28) and Oscar Otte (ATP 114).