Dominic Thiem, Cordoba and the error in the ATP point system
Dominic Thiem has ended his 2022 season. With good reason: He will have a permanent place at the Australian Open 2023. The Austrian could have played in Paris-Bercy next week, as Kitzbühel tournament director Alex Antonitsch found out.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Oct 28, 2022, 03:38 pm
Where will Dominic Thiem be in the ATP world rankings next Monday? Good enough to earn a secure spot in the Australian Open main draw. Thiem already knew that much on Thursday after his elimination against Daniil Medvedev at the Erste Bank Open 2022 in Vienna. But the fact that the US Open champion should actually have used a protected ranking for the last time in Paris-Bercy next week was found out by the Kitzbühel tournament director Alexander Antonitsch after tedious research.
"I was taken aback when I saw that Dominic was in the grid without a protected ranking and without a wild card in Vienna," explains Antonitsch. With a world ranking of 113 actually an impossibility. "But: Dominic is a so-called "committed player" who has to get a place in the main field with some 500s." Which, by the way, also applied to Hamburg. Where Thiem played at the tournament in Gstaad, a 250 event at the same time.
Antonitsch - Thiem should have used his last protected ranking for Paris-Bercy
What is really exciting is the situation in terms of protected ranking. "The rule book states that you can or must claim nine protected rankings within nine months," Antonitsch continues. No problem actually: Dominic Thiem finally made his comeback in April in Marbella. And since then he has resorted to his protected ranking position eight times. One option would still be open - and Thiem would certainly have drawn it in Paris-Bercy next week.
Because the ATP calendar begins with the tournament in Cordoba, which was held at the end of January. Thiem actually wanted to start there with a wildcard, but then withdrew due to problems with the batting hand. "It is very clearly defined that the nine months mentioned begin when a player takes part in a competition for the first time," said Antonitsch. This was obviously not the case in Cordoba.
“But if you look at Dominic's ranking points breakdown, then Indian Wells and Miami are listed as zero-point mandatory tournaments. He wasn't even injured at the time," explains Alex Antonitsch. Who got in touch with the ATP. And has already been informed that Indian Wells will be replaced by another tournament (Vienna). According to a broadcast by the ATP this Friday, the same applies to Miami. With which Thiem also gets the eleven points won in Salzburg. The 2020 US Open champion thus ends the season with 561 points. This puts Thiem in 98th place in the live ranking.
Compensation for Thiem in early 2023?
"But the fact is that Dominic should have used his protected ranking in Paris-Bercy next week. And now you will see how the ATP reacts to this fact," says Antonitsch. He could imagine, for example, that Thiem would have the chance to use his ranking of six again as a protected player in one of the Australian tournaments in early 2023. Or later in the year at an ATP Masters 1000 event, which has a smaller grid than Indian Wells, for example, where 96 players are represented in the tableau.
Whether Dominic Thiem is in the top 100 on Monday or just above it depends on a few players: TDaniel Altmaier could overtake the Austrian, as could Gregoire Barrere. But the main thing will not change: “Dominic will definitely be in the top 100 on Monday. And so we can play fast in Melbourne,” concludes Antonitsch. Season goal achieved.