Dominic Thiem - After the disappointment in Rome, now probably to Lyon
The loss to Lorenzo Sonego in the round of 16 of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome will probably mean that Dominic Thiem postpones another appearance on the ATP tour before the French Open.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: May 14, 2021, 10:04 am
That's still the way it is in 2021: within a few minutes a cauldron can change into a ghost stadium, as happened on Thursday evening in the Foro Italico. Dominic Thiem had somewhat cooled the fans in the grandstands of the Grand Stand by winning the second set, but the Austrian would certainly have had nothing against a continuation under the Davis Cup conditions.
As it was, Thiem and his opponent Lorenzo Sonego had to cope with a half-hour break, from which the local hero came out better. The fact that Dominic Thiem did not leave the field as the winner in the end, understandably, did not make the 27-year-old happy. Because after the 0: 2 in the decisive set, Thiem turned up and had a chance when Sonego served to close the match. And failed to serve at the score of 5: 4.
Thiem needs victories
In the tie-break, nuances tipped the balance in favor of the Italian, who today, again in the evening, can fight with Andrey Rublev for a place in the semifinals. No wonder that Thiem aptly summed up the day with "mixed". Too often he seemed to make the wrong decision, especially the dropshots did not produce the desired result.
Which will probably mean that Thiem will also serve in Lyon next week. He has been able to collect match practice in moderation, what is missing is victory practice, which brings back the old self-confidence. Especially against the best players on the tour. Because the highest ranked opponent that Dominic Thiem won this year is Alex de Minaur (ATP number 24). Thiem lost the two meetings with the top ten people (Matteo Berrettini at the ATP Cup and Alexander Zverev in Madrid).
Such capacities are not to be expected in Lyon. But what a tournament victory can mean, Dominic Thiem saw in his opponent in Rome on Thursday: Because Lorenzo Sonego looks quite inspired after his home win in Cagliari.
Here the single tableau in Rome
rommap