Australian Open: Dominic Thiem - Successful positioning in a special outfit
Dominic Thiem started the Australian Open with a sovereign three-set win over Mikhail Kukushkin - and not only set an example with his performance.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Feb 08, 2021, 08:28 pm
It is well known that Dominic Thiem has been dealing with issues outside of the tennis court for years. At the Australian Open, the Austrian has once again proven that he is interested in more than playing the yellow felt ball out of reach into the opposing field.
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In his first round match against the Kazakhs Mihkail Kukushkin, the world number three ran in an outfit from his supplier Adidas, which was made entirely from plastic waste. Thiem is now part of the "Tennis x Parley" series, which is subject to the main campaign "Adidas x Parley for the Oceans".
Saving the oceans as a goal
According to its own statements , the primary goal of the German sporting goods manufacturer is not to let plastic flow into the sea, but instead to convert it into high-quality sportswear. Thus, on the one hand, the pollution of the oceans should be combated, on the other hand, the oceans should become a "fundamental component of the climate change debate".
But of course the focus - as is usual in Grand Slam tournaments - was mainly on athletic performance despite the manufacturer's idea. "I didn't really know where I was," Thiem said after the match. In the first sentence you could tell the US Open champion's uncertainty, after which the world number three celebrated the finest tennis again.
Thiem now against Koepfer
"I am satisfied with the way I worked my way into the match," stated the Austrian. The appearances against Matteo Berrettini and Benoit Paire at the ATP Cup were not ideal for preparation because he hardly spent any time on the pitch, said Thiem. The 2:40 hours of playing time against Kukushkin should therefore also be worth gold in terms of match practice.
In round two, Thiem now has to deal with Dominik Koepfer. "I only trained with Koepfer once, here in Australia last year. It'll be another jump into the deep end. I'll have to watch videos again and come up with good tactics," said the 27-year-old before the first duel with him Germans. So again there are a few uncertainties waiting for the 27-year-old. The only thing that is certain at the moment is that Thiem will again wear a very special outfit on Wednesday - on which, by the way, the Great Barrier Reef can be seen.
Here you can read the game between Thiem and Kukushkin in our live ticker
Here is the men's single tableau
laver arena