Dominic Thiem - "For me everything was a class too bad"
Dominic Thiem is no longer represented on the tableau after his first appearance at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Miami. The 25-year-old Lichtenwörther was defeated by Hubert Hurkacz from Poland in two sentences.
by APA
last edit: Mar 23, 2019, 09:02 am
After the triumph in Indian Wells, Dominic Thiem's defeat in Miami came straight away. The Lower Austrian, who was number 3 in the ATP Masters 1000 event, endowed with $ 9.315 million, and who won his first title at this level last Sunday, lost on Friday after only 77 minutes against the up-and-coming Pole Hubert Hurkacz with 4: 6.4: 6.
It is not for nothing that the so-called "Sunshine Double", ie titles in Indian Wells and Miami, is a rarely successful feat. Only seven men have been successful since 1991, the combined 2,000 points are worth as much as a Grand Slam title. But in the end Thiem was far from that.
The French Open finalist had started well and immediately with a break, but could not use this advantage in both movements. "He played well. He is in good shape, also played very well in Indian Wells and also beat Nishikori twice before in Dubai. For me everything was generally a class too bad," said Thiem, who was after his twelfth ATP title is number 4 in the ranking for the second time since Monday.
"He was just the better player after that"
"I started with a break, which is great for the start of the game and then I get the rebreak straight away. That shouldn't happen," said Thiem. He should have made better use of his opponent's bad start. "After that he was just a bit better player." In the second round, Thiem managed an early break to 2: 1, which he expanded to 3: 1 and 4: 2, but then Thiem did not play anymore.
It was neither the other conditions, nor the tiredness after the previous week, Thiem assured. "The conditions were actually good for me and I felt comfortable playing." The world rankings-54. from Poland has a 3: 3 record after six duels with top ten players. The 22-year-old now meets the Canadian qualifier Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Thiem is looking forward to Austria
For Thiem, on the other hand, it's about packing suitcases and after almost two months abroad, it's back to Austria. "I was on the road for a very long time, I think that's the eighth week. I'm looking forward to home, I must say," Thiem admitted. He will recover for a few days, then preparation for the European clay court season, which is particularly important for him, begins. "I now have almost two weeks for Monte Carlo. That is some time to get used to clay again. Then I hope that I can find a good start to the new part of the year."
After a year that had "begun to be forgotten" for him, Thiem had pulled himself out of the swamp with the first 1000 title. "This title means a lot to me, of course. I think it's a shame that I couldn't confirm it here in Miami." But he lost to a very strong opponent.
"I collected good points with which I can build up the year well. Of course, I also have a lot to defend in the clay court season," says Thiem. With the 1,000 counters from Indian Wells, he has created a good cushion. "I'm fourth now, which is also good for the settlements." However, this can still change in Miami, Roger Federer can overtake him with a quarter-final. Kevin Anderson should already have won the tournament.
Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome on the program
Thiem's next project: "I have to make sure that I play well in Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome - these are all tournaments that are very good for me - and then of course comes the really big highlight of Roland Garros." The next tournament is in Monaco, where the next 1000 event starts in Easter week in mid-April.
It will be decided in the next few days whether to continue with touring coach Nicolas Massu. "We said we would talk to Miami about it and plan all the details. But it works very well with him. It is a very good option and I hope that it will be extended. But it is not quite fixed yet."
Thiem's exact tournament schedule is now Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and Paris. Depending on how he is doing at these events, he may play in Lyon again and Munich is also an option in the rear. "Should I play okay, but not then." After Paris, he will rather miss Stuttgart, which also depends on the Roland Garros performance, where Thiem last made two semi-finals and one final in a row. For the time being, only Halle and Wimbledon are fixed on grass.