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ATP Tel Aviv: Dominic Thiem - A defeat that gives hope

Dominic Thiem had to say goodbye to the ATP 250 tournament in Tel Aviv in the second round, but the narrow defeat against Marin Cilic can certainly be reason for hope.

by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Sep 29, 2022, 09:35 am

Dominic Thiem is approaching his top form with small steps
© GEPA pictures
Dominic Thiem is approaching his top form with small steps

From his point of view, Marin Cilic would not have unpacked an ace with the score of 6: 7 (6), 6: 2, 2: 3 and 30:40, who knows whether Dominic Thiem won the Center Court in Tel Aviv would have left. But the Croatian did what a world-class man does in a pressure situation and freed himself bone-dry from the predicament. A few minutes later, the 2014 US Open winner was allowed to celebrate his 34th birthday with the Israeli audience.

So while Cilic spoke of a "fantastic" and "amazing" match in the on-court interview, Thiem had long been in the catacombs. And will of course have been disappointed. After a few days, the Austrian will probably also realize that he is on the right track.

Thiem's forehand does too little damage

Because against Cilic, Thiem has probably shown his best performance since returning to the tour. Backhand, serve and footwork worked almost like they used to in the round of 16 in Tel Aviv, only the forehand still leaves something to be desired. And this is where the Lower Austrian's big problem lies: The forehand has always been the blow with which Thiem can do the most damage.

Since his wrist injury, however, Thiem has been missing a few percentage points on the forehand, which naturally make the decisive difference at world-class level. It can be assumed that the coaching team around Nicolas Massu has long since noticed this and will work on it in the off-season.

Thiem aims for top 100 return

Before the current season ends, however, Thiem is still pursuing a major goal: returning to the top 100. At the beginning of next week, the 29-year-old will be around 160th in the world rankings, so at the end of the season the Austrian will need a strong final sprint. to live up to his ambitions.

Thiem is currently planning to return to the tour at the ATP 250 event in Antwerp, which begins on October 16, but a shorter break also seems possible. In the coming week, for example, a top-class 500 tournament will take place in Astana. Thiem would need a wildcard for short-term participation.

The single tableau in Tel Aviv

by Nikolaus Fink

Thursday
Sep 29, 2022, 11:40 am
last edit: Sep 29, 2022, 09:35 am