Comment: What is going on for Dominic Thiem's ATP tour re-start?
He was by far the most enthusiastic athlete during the interruption of the ATP tour due to COVID-19: Dominic Thiem. What this preparation means for the two planned Grand Slams and where maybe a little more is inside for the Austrian. A comment.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Jul 26, 2020, 05:44 pm
Dominic Thiem has been at the pitch 28 times in the past few months. What would actually indicate very successful weeks on the ATP tour meant in 2020 that the Austrian was a particularly hardworking player at the various exhibition events, which should at least shorten the wait for the players to restart the tour . The fact that Thiem was able to win 25 of his matches in the end speaks for a great constitution in which the third in the world rankings presented itself.
From the Generali Austrian Pro Series, which Thiem appropriately finished as the winner (although the defeat against Sebastian Ofner can definitely be seen as a blemish), through the controversial Adria Tour, in which the success of the Lower Austrian due to the COVID 19 outbreak somewhat in the In the background, to the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, in which Thiem was able to defeat three top 10 players - Dominic Thiem's trips during these weeks were varied.
Thiem gains two or three kilos of muscle
In any case, they ended in German-speaking countries, first the Austrian invited to Kitzbühel as a co-organizer of "Thiem's 7", the final points were two tournament victories at the bett1Aces in Berlin, where the 26-year-old was also able to achieve one of his rather rare successes on grass . Yes, Dominic Thiem played in a splendid form towards the end of the exhibition season, convinced with punchy foreheads - and a new kind of security on the backhand.
The pressure of the forehand, however, seems to have increased even more than it was when Thiem's final at the Australian Open at the beginning of the year. This is probably due to the changed stature of the Austrian, which was hard to miss, especially in Kitzbühel. The Austrian has built up "two to three kilos" of muscle in the past few weeks. The corona break, says Thiem, was a good time to work on yourself physically.
USA uncertainty
Now it's time to take a breath, recharge your batteries before the Lower Austrian is due to go to the United States, provided the remaining two tournaments - the Eastern & Western Open and the US Open - can take place in New York City. For Dominic Thiem - according to the author of these lines - this would be the best case scenario, the two hard court events in America could not only be interesting for Thiem in terms of the world rankings.
As the ATP announced, the players can only gain points this calendar year, whether the first round at the US Open last year and the injury-related cancellation at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati could give the Lower Austrian massive ground here. But that's just one side of the coin, because the view of Thiem's first Grand Slam victory is also allowed.
Thiem on hard court in dazzling condition
Since winning the ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, Dominic Thiem has increasingly become a hard court ace, a development that has also been prolonged in appearances at hard court exhibition tournaments. In Nice, at Mouratoglu's Ultimate Tennis Showdown, for example, where Thiem, with Berrettini, Tsitsipas and Goffin, was able to defeat three top 10 players who in the past were considered hard opponents of the Austrian hard court.
Or the appearances in Berlin's Tempelhof Airport, where Dominic Thiem literally demonstrated in the final Jannik Sinner what cannot be overstated due to the Italian's semi-final success over Roberto Bautista Agut. Above all, however, it is the services that speak for a further increase for the Austrian: Thiem designed his service games with a clear sovereignty, Thiem was also able to visibly improve the return game.
The Rafael Nadal factor
The very big factor why Thiem could work better in America with the first Grand Slam victory - and not at the French Open, where Thiem has already reached the final twice, bears the name Rafael Nadal as so often. He has been working on his clay court form for a few weeks now, will therefore travel to Paris well prepared - and will then be very difficult to beat in his living room.
At the same time, this means that Rafael Nadal probably does not plan to compete at the US Open, the points are kept by the world ranking second anyway. For Dominic Thiem, this represents a unique opportunity: Two of the "Big Three" - Roger Federer will not be starting in 2020 - will (probably) be missing in New York City, so the way to the Grand Slam title could be that way feasible like so rarely in recent years. With this preparation, it could be the first time in the metropolis that the Lower Austrian may stretch the Grand Slam Cup skyward.