Australian Open: Dominic Thiem vs. Nick Kyrgios: The Austrian Party Crasher
Dominic Thiem made a great comeback against Nick Kyrgios . Our tennis insider will tell you how the world number three managed it.
by Marco Kühn
last edit: Feb 12, 2021, 02:28 pm
Have you ever been to a birthday party that you weren't invited to? People you don't know roar and celebrate. Confetti flies through the air. Singing mixed with screeching haunts you. And you wonder when the fun will finally end.
Dominic Thiem was at such a celebration today. However, he was neither angry, nor mean, nor conspicuous in any other way. He walked to the music system relaxed but confident and pulled the plug. Then it was quiet.
The split personality
In the middle of the party, the host set the mood. Nick Kyrgios managed to pull the mood on his side early in the match. That's always a problem in a match against Kyrgios. You can be called Nadal, Federer or Thiem. The situation remains challenging. Give Nick the underdog role, a fanatical audience and a break right at the start. And the madhouse is ready.
Many characters seem to have found their home in Nick Kyrgios' body. They fight each other for the space by the window. In the first two sets, the outstanding, playfully intelligent, almost sovereign player in Nick's body was able to claim this place for himself. This character in the Australian's body can beat any opponent. Unfortunately, too often this character loses the battle for the window.
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Or should we rather say: Fortunately? Imagine if Kyrgios were just playing tennis. Fortunately, he doesn't. The smallest changes in the party mood make his insides shake. The fight for the place at the window is usually won by the sensitive, playfully not so intelligent player with the non-existent fuse. This character is engaged in many things. He wants to impress the women in the audience. He wants to stand out. He somehow wants to get rid of his pent-up emotions. The problem? This character only plays tennis on the side.
It's crazy how Kyrgios manages to trip himself. The opponent knew that today. And just stayed cool. After the 2-0 set deficit, Thiem knew that his chances would come.
The Buddha
Has Dominic Thiem matured in recent years? Does he control his emotions like the half-high forehand topspin that takes the pace out of the rally? The answer to these questions consists of two letters rather than four.
Thiem certainly didn't play the best game of his career. But he played perhaps the strongest mental match of his career. He showed no emotion until the decisive break in the fifth set. Neither joy, hope, or despair. He did not feed the opponent who lives on emotions. That was terrific.
While blondes were swinging beer in the stands and celebrated the unimportant Kyrgios point at 3:15 p.m. at 1: 1 like a Grand Slam victory, Dominic Thiem focused on the big points. He didn't seem to care that the opponent played this point strongly. He seems to have learned a lot more simply ticking off points. This ability to check off and accept points that have already been played was a great strength in Dominic Thiem's repertoire today. He could be accused of having temporarily missed the fire. But in the end the one who has won is always right.
While Kyrgios was discussing his misconduct with the referee, Dominic secured the survival of an Australian insect in the fifth set, between the T and baseline. This scene couldn't have been better imagined as a symbol for this match. In tennis, the character always comes on the court. The technology hits the ball. The head decides how this ball flies over the net.
What you can learn as a hobby player
Ideally, your head and playful skills should complement each other. They should work together and not get in each other's way. In the match against Nick Kyrgios, Dominic Thiem impressively demonstrated what a productive cooperation between these two factors can look like.
What can you learn from this game as a hobby player? The first important lesson is that you have to give your opponent his strong phases. Sure, it doesn't feel nice if you have the balls around your ears for 15 minutes at a time. But look at it from a different perspective: the probability that your opponent will make a few more mistakes after this phase is high.
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The second important lesson is that you should trust your strengths. Especially when you don't feel comfortable on the court. Dominic only played his dreaded winners at the end of the match. Before that, he often held a rally with a backhand slice. You don't always have to play spectacularly. You will keep playing matches that you win, but which are not the highlight of your career in terms of playing level.
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