Dominic Thiem: "I do not want to hide everything"
Dominic Thiem will meet Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Tuesday in the first round of the ATP 500 tournament in Vienna. Before the start of his home tournament, the Lower Austrian is highly motivated.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Oct 21, 2019, 04:34 pm
by Nikolaus Fink from the Wiener Stadthalle
Before Dominic Thiem gets really serious for the first time tomorrow, the World Ranking Five had to answer the questions of the journalists on the first day of the main draw in the catacombs of the Wiener Stadthalle - and did so in the usual relaxed manner.
Compared to previous years, he came this year with a more concrete plan in the Austrian capital: "The week was perfectly planned." Thiem has been staying in Vienna since Wednesday and was able to train well in the Stadthalle so far. In the last two days, he has then scaled back the intensity to be fully ready on Tuesday.
The hustle and bustle around his person makes the 26-year-old, however, still significantly less than in previous years. "I do not want to hide everything at all, and most of the time, the audience helps to tease out a few extra percentages," the light-poet hopes for the support of his compatriots - at least on Tuesday Thiem may be sure of this. The Stadthalle is completely sold out.
No victory against Tsonga yet
Thiem does not yet have a specific schedule for the match against Tsonga, who will be drafted relatively shortly before the match. The strengths of the French are known anyway: serve and forehand. "Especially if he can use these punches one after the other, it will be dangerous."
Thiem has already felt this twice in his career. The last duel with the world ranking-36. dated from 2016, when Tsonga clearly prevailed in Indian Wells. At the first meeting Thiem has much better memories - 2013 was defeated by the Austrians in the Stadthalle the Frenchman only in the tiebreak of the third set.
"On this day, for the first time, I understood what was possible for me," writes Thiem in the preface to the book by ex-coach Günter Bresnik, The Dominic Thiem Method . Six years later, Thiem is in fifth place in the ATP world rankings and will even be topped in Vienna after the cancellation of Daniil Medvedev.
Playground as in Asia
"It would be a great disappointment if it does not work that way in Vienna," says the light-poet, who does not want to escape the role of a favorite. How to win the first tournament victory in the Austrian capital? With similarly aggressive tennis as in Asia, Thiem let know. Both in Beijing (tournament victory) and in Shanghai (quarter-finals), this concept was fully developed.
skywien
The topping in the Stadthalle, however, was fair for all players and "pretty much identical" to that in the previous year. "However, in the hall it will be very heavy against almost all players - including Tsonga, we both serve quite well", Thiem argues for a close match.
Thiem wants to be ready on Tuesday from 17:30 clock from the beginning: "It is from the first point away really hard." The French Open finalist does not want to be distracted from any secondary venues at his home tournament.
Working with pattern? "Rumors are not right"
Therefore, Thiem gave a possible cooperation with Thomas Muster at the French Open 2020 for now a refusal : "These rumors are not true." In principle, the 52-year-old would indeed be a conceivable solution, but discussions had not yet taken place.
Thiem wants to concentrate fully on the tournament in Vienna. In addition to the ATP finals, the ATP 500 event is the highlight in autumn - and the Austrian has yet another bill in the Stadthalle. So far, the 26-year-old never got beyond the quarter-finals. This year, however, the omens may be better than ever. The THIEMstag can come.