Dominic Thiem before Davis Cup: complete service, test drive in Finland
Dominic Thiem has overcome his illness and is in the Finnish Espoo in the Davis Cup on Friday and Saturday. The current number five in the ATP ranking supports the ÖTV team in the fight for a place in the world group playoffs in March to bring them up to operating temperature for the rest of the season.
by Lukas Zahrer
last edit: Sep 12, 2019, 10:16 am
The US Open is history, the 2019 season is slowly but surely turning onto the home stretch. While the 18 best tennis nations compete for the first time in the Caja Magica in Madrid at the finals for the Davis Cup 2019 at the end of November, the Austrian selection has to compete in mid-September.
With the home defeat against Chile last February, the ÖTV team missed the qualification for the premiere of the Davis Cup Finals. At that time Dominic Thiem was out due to an illness, this time the timing could hardly be better. After a period of weakness during the North America tour, the 26-year-old uses the international comparison to get his engine up and running again.
"I was outside for a long time. It's perfect to prepare for the last phase of the season and to get back into the rhythm of the game, ”said Thiem before leaving for Finland. There is still “a tight program” waiting for the two-time French Open finalists. The Lichtenwörther is planning five tournaments for 2019, with only absolute top opponents waiting for each.
At the ATP 500 tournaments in Beijing and Vienna, he is number two of the tournament after Daniil Medvedev, and at the Masters in Shanghai and Paris, the entire world elite competes anyway. “You can pull a good thing out of every bad situation. I am probably going into the last phase of the season fresher than in recent years. My goal is to play better than in the past few years, ”says Thiem.
Dominic Thiem and health: nutrition, experience, planning
Many questioned the circumstances why Thiem was not in full possession of his powers in two of this year's four Grand Slams. For Thiem himself, the failures came less suddenly. “As a tennis player, you almost always put too much strain on your body. You have to make sure that it stays in the frame, "he urges himself to self-discipline, because:" I have certainly exceeded the frame. "
The "degree hike", as Thiem calls it, he wants to master with experience and better, ie more economical, tournament planning.
A tennis player's power reserves are like a car tank. The warning signal after Kitzbühel's tournament victory shone brightly at Thiem, but he still steered his body to Canada, where he even won two matches with the reserve tank. What Thiem did not expect: His engine stuttered so much that a simple stop at a rest stop during the Cincinnati Masters was not enough. He needed a bigger service, that became clear in the first round match at the US Open. Thiem does not want to know anything about a total loss.
"You have to prevent the whole thing," explains Thiem. "With vitamins" he wants to expand his reach in the future. He received comprehensive advice on the subject of nutrition, but did not discover a leak. "Everything looks good," assured Thiem.
The repair shops in Austria seem to work better than those in the USA. “It is difficult to get well in America. It's almost 40 degrees outside, in the hotel room 15. You can't even open the window in the room. Then it is difficult for the body to recover, ”he complained. "As soon as I was in Austria, I was quickly on my feet again."
Dominic Thiem: Fully fit in the Davis Cup
Now Thiem is fully fit again, everything is normal, the drive runs smoothly again. He has no worries that his tennis has rusted during sick leave. "I have played tennis for so many hours in my life and I have been physically active for so many hours that it is quickly back where it should be."
Now two opponents outside the top 150 should serve for a test drive. Emil Ruusuvuori is currently in 163rd place, but recently showed strong performances, especially at the Challenger level. The nominal number two of the hosts, Patrik Niklas-Salminen, falls as ATP number 551 in the snack opponents category.
Thiem enjoys his position as leader of the ÖTV team. “I'm looking forward to the Davis Cup. There are always all the people with whom I get on very well. ”
He does not want to underestimate the next two competition days. "It's a good return. I have to be at 100 percent, just like it will be at the following tournaments, ”he warned himself to keep the speed in the ideal range from the start.
The week after the Davis Cup, another team week awaits Thiem with the Laver Cup. "The event is amazing. It's an incredible atmosphere, the best players in the world are united there, ”he looks forward to his second appearance for the European team.
Thiems tournament planning 2019: Beijing back on the calendar
Even the appearance in Geneva does not earn any points for the fight for world ranking points. The next opportunity for valuable counters will be in Beijing at the end of September, where Thiem wants to win a match for the first time on the third try.
Last year, he used a completely different tactic: He almost completely missed the Asia tour, only hit the mandatory Masters in Shanghai, but immediately went back home after losing to Matthew Ebden.
“It didn't work that way last year. Jet lag is very difficult in this direction. I find it difficult to fall asleep in the evening, ”Thiem told tennisnet when asked about the changes in the tournament schedule. Before that, Thiem contested an exhibition fight against Fabio Fognini in Wuhan . "It is not far away and makes me arrive earlier."
Thiem then has a week to get in the mood for Beijing, "then I should be well adjusted". He takes the extra kilometers in order to be "at full height" for the Masters in Shanghai. "It is actually amazing how important it is."
Thiem is no longer worried about qualifying for the ATP Finals. "I think that's done, if I'm honest," said Thiem, referring to his results.
He has collected 3,845 points so far in 2019, which means he currently has more points on his account than in 2016 (3,535) and 2018 (3,590) and is almost identical to 2017 (3,850). In all three years, Thiem was at the season finale in London.
The last stop is said to be in the capital of England before Thiem puts on the winter tires and puts his car in the garage. Just to start the first maintenance measures after a few weeks.