ATP Montreal: Dominic Thiem chases first win in Canada
After his first tournament victory on Austrian soil, Dominic Thiem wants to make the next debut in his career in Canada immediately.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Aug 07, 2019, 08:52 am
Tennis life can be as beautiful as it is brutal. On Saturday Dominic Thiem celebrated his "most beautiful and emotional" title so far in Kitzbühel, only four days later the Austrian had to get back on his feet - and had to put up with a flight over the Atlantic and a topping change.
The framework conditions will not only be different due to the harder ground, but the support of the audience will probably belong entirely to his opponent - quite differently than in Kitzbühel. In the second round, Thiem meets local hero Denis Shapovalov, who defeated Herbert in two sets at the start.
Shapovalov feels at home in Montreal
The victory over the Frenchman was the first in more than two months for the only 20-year-old Shapovalov, in the meantime the world ranking had to 32. Accept five first-round defeats. However, the Canadian feels particularly comfortable in front of home crowd and on hard court, as he demonstrated, among other things, with a victory over Rafael Nadal in Montreal two years ago.
The conditions could be much better for Thiem. In addition, the world number four in Canada has never won on the ATP tour, with the Rogers Cup alternating between Toronto and Montreal annually, the Lichtenwörther suffered just as many defeats in five matches.
I look forward to playing hardcourt again.
Dominic Thiem
"I couldn't have come here with more confidence," Thiem said before the tournament started. The preparation time was naturally a bit short, but in principle he was very satisfied with his game at the moment. And: Due to the slow surface in Montreal, the change from sand to hard court was not too difficult for him.
Thiem: three changes crucial
"I'm looking forward to playing hardcourt again," said the 25-year-old. "I have to get closer to the baseline again, can use my slice more and will serve flat again when I serve. These are three of the most important things," said Thiem, explaining the route for the coming weeks.
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Thiem, who was placed second in an ATP Masters 1000 tournament for the first time in Montreal after the cancellations of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, is well aware of the severity of the opening hurdle: "Against Denis there can be an early defeat again "But I'll try my best to take my first win here."