ATP Mallorca: Dominic Thiem - "I'm definitely on the right track"
BeforeDominic Thiemintervenes in the tournament against Adrian Mannarino on Mallorca on Tuesday, the Austrian commented on his current form, the Olympic cancellation and a possible appearance in Kitzbühel.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Jun 22, 2021, 09:44 am
It has now been almost two years since Dominic Thiem played a professional match on grass for the last time. Against Adrian Mannarino, the Austrian will celebrate his comeback on the green on Tuesday (from around 6 p.m. live in the Tennisnet ticker) - and Thiem knows what is important on this surface.
"Although it has become slower than it used to be, it is still a very different game. It is very heavy on serve and returns, the footwork is completely different and at the same time it is also a lucky bag. You can play very well and still play in two close quarters Losing sets. It mostly depends on a few points, "said the fifth in the world ranking before the start of the tournament.
Thiem: "It's getting better and better"
Thiem was also able to deal with the opening defeat at the French Open in the past few weeks: "If I'm honest with myself, it was just not enough in Paris. I didn't play well enough and there are the missing training sessions from March and April , May fell on my head. I started training very well a month and a half before Paris, but it's just not enough at that level. It's getting better and better now, I'm definitely on the right track. " He has stabilized both physically and mentally, said the 27-year-old.
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Nevertheless, Thiem "with a heavy heart" decided not to take part in the Olympic Games in Tokyo this year: "I said at the beginning of the year that I really wanted to play it, but I didn't know that I would have such difficulties will be in the first six months. I really have to score a few points to stay up in the ranking. So it's better that I skip it this year.
Thiem leaves Kitzbühel start open
But there were also other reasons for the rejection: "Of course all the strict rules, the bubble, are also one of the reasons for this and also that there is no planning security there. It can also happen if one of the thousands of athletes there is positive that you might have to stay there. All of that made me decide. Then it will be Paris 2024. "
However, he still left it open whether Thiem will serve at his home tournament in Kitzbühel instead. "I'm not quite sure about the tournament schedule afterwards. I will of course play tournaments before Toronto and Cincinnati, but I don't know exactly what that will look like (...)." The idea of playing in front of a full house would give him goose bumps.