ATP Madrid: Dominic Thiem as favorite in the duel against Roger Federer
Dominic Thiem facesRoger Federer in the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid. Due to his impressive clay court shape, the Austrian will be the favorite against the probably best player of all time. The match will be live from 5 p.m. on Sky, in Austria on ServusTV and in our live ticker.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: May 10, 2019, 01:50 pm
by Nikolaus Fink from Madrid
You felt relief. Relief of beating an extremely dangerous opponent. Dominic Thiem was a happy man after winning the round of 16 through Fabio Fognini . "I think I beat one of the best clay court players at the moment, so I'm over the moon," said the Austrian after the match.
However, there was no time for too many celebrations because Thiem still has a mission to fulfill in Madrid. This is: first tournament victory in the Caja Magica. So far, the 25-year-old has been the strongest of all players in the Spanish capital, the impressive performance against Fognini underpins Thiem's status as top favorite for the title.
Federer fended off two match balls against Monfils
The Lichtenwörther bristles with confidence after winning the tournament in Barcelona and is also a favorite against Roger Federer. In addition, the Swiss wobbled in the round of 16: The third in the world rankings had to fend off two match balls against Gael Monfils and showed unusual weaknesses in his game with both the forehand and backhand.
Thiem has played great lately.
Roger Federer
"Thiem has played great lately - he won in Barcelona and Indian Wells," Federer said after his round of 16 against Thiem. "He won't have a day on sand where he doesn't play a ball in the court. That could sometimes happen to him on a quick court," says the Confederate, particularly knowing about the Austrian's abilities to ashes.
The only duel on sand went to Thiem
Federer already felt this in Rome: Thiem won in two sets in 2016. However, this defeat should not be overestimated, as Federer was plagued by back problems in the Italian capital. This year's Indian Wells final is more meaningful, and the Austrian was also able to win this.
Overall, Thiem leads 3-2 in head to head. Accordingly, the fifth in the world rankings does not have to be afraid: "I always want a game against him because he is just Federer and plays so nice tennis." However, the 25-year-old does not see much room for improvement compared to his third round: "If I could maintain the level, I would be happy." It will be interesting to see whether Thiem will still be a happy man after the quarter-finals in the Caja Magica.