Dominic Thiem after night shift at Australian Open: "Hope this gives me a boost"
Melbourne's second round move was hard work for the Paris finalist. Now an Australian teen is waiting for Thiem.
by Ulrike Weinrich from Melbourne
last edit: Jan 16, 2019, 12:22 pm
At just before three in the morning, the 25-year-old entered Interview Room 2 of the almost empty Media Center. He had previously picked up a kiss from girlfriend Kristina Mladenovic in the catacombs.
Thiem with "incredible feeling of happiness"
The reward was absolutely deserved, because Thiem survived a delicate first mission in the "Happy Slam" without being damaged.
No wonder that the night owl ("I like to play late") felt "an incredible feeling of happiness" afterwards, despite the advanced time.
Thiem was not worried that he would have almost lost a two-set lead at 6: 4, 6: 3, 5: 7, 1: 6, 6: 3 against the always unpredictable Frenchman Benoit Paire in the Margaret Court Arena .
"In 2017 in Madrid or 2016 in Acapulco there were always late games, so I was never in bed before 4:00 am"
"Victory gives you confidence. And maybe it was even better than winning in three sets," said the world ranking night and said: "I hope it gives me a boost." A welcome wake-up call on an Australian summer night right at the start - so to speak.
Last year, the Lichtenwörther had won his opening match in three sets with the first major of the year - and then had to go the full distance in the next game against the blatant outsider Denis Kudla (USA).
Now he had just "experienced" it at the start, as Thiem said. However, he does not fear the effects of the night shift.
The "Dominator" respects Australian 1.96m teenagers
"There were always late games in Madrid in 2017 or in Acapulco in 2016, so I was never in bed before 4 am," said Thiem, who wanted to sleep in until noon on Wednesday.
The training was planned for 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. local time on Wednesday evening in the hall, as coach Günter Bresnik announced on tennisnet request.
And the preparation for the next opponent was also on the program. Allow: Alexei Popyrin, 19 years old, 1.96 meters tall, world ranking 149th, Russian roots, nickname "Pop", born in Sydney - and one of the wildcard holders in Melbourne.
"I watched him. It's always interesting to play against a boy who gets very good," said Thiem. He wants to watch a few videos of Popyrin.
The Austrian is definitely warned: The Australian teen, who was also supported by coach guru Patrick Mouratoglou, knocked out Mischa Zverev in the first round - in three sentences.