ATP Tel Aviv: "A real grind" - Dominic Thiem unpacks his fighting spirit
Dominic Thiem is in the second round of the ATP 250 tournament in Tel Aviv after a hard-fought three-set win over Laslo Djere . Against the Serbs, Austria demonstrated its fighting qualities.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Sep 26, 2022, 09:43 pm
It wasn't always nice, but ultimately successful: Dominic Thiem beat Laslo Djere 5: 7, 7: 6 (3) and 6: 4 at the start of the ATP 250 tournament in Tel Aviv and thus bought the second round ticket for the eagerly awaited duel against Marin Cilic. However, until Thiem had fixed this, he had to fight hard in the Israeli metropolis.
Thiem's frustration with his expandable game was noticeable right at the beginning of the encounter, but the US Open winner of 2020 never lost his concentration. "I didn't have a good start. I made the break in the second set and then I was a bit lucky that I was able to turn the match around," said the Lichtenwörther, who initially lost a 4-1 lead in the second half and then had to take a detour via a tie-break, in the on-court interview after the game.
The handbrake shouldn't really come off even after winning the second set, but after two hours and 41 minutes of play Thiem still left the field as the winner. "The third set was a real grind," stated the former third in the world rankings.
In round two, Thiem now meets Marin Cilic, who is second. The Lower Austrian leads 4-0 head-to-head, but the Croatian will still be the favorite on Wednesday. Thiem, that much is clear, will need a clear increase in performance in terms of play. And a similar outstanding attitude as on Monday.