Dominic Thiem is shorter in tournament planning: "Must take care of me"
Due to a successful week at the ATP Masters in Madrid, Dominic Thiem has little time to prepare for his opening match in Rome. He contested the double final in Spain on Sunday, and was already back in Rome on Tuesday. In general, the number four in the world is planning with fewer tournaments than in previous years.
by Lukas Zahrer
last edit: May 16, 2019, 03:39 pm
“My goal is very clear to play fewer tournaments. But I want to try to do the best I can in every single event, ”said Dominic Thiem at a press conference in Rome. Due to constant rain, the winner of Barcelona got another day off, the second round game against Fernando Verdasco takes place on Thursday.
With 24 tournaments that he played in the past twelve months, Thiem was the second hardest of all current top ten players. Only Stefanos Tsitsipas has a denser travel plan with 28 entries.
However, two years ago the Lower Austrian completed twelve tournaments before the Masters in Rome, compared to just nine in the current season. Although he had to cancel his start in Cordoba due to health problems, the trend is still towards fewer mentions.
Thiem: "I used to need self-confidence"
"I think that I have to take care of myself a little more with age," said Thiem, explaining his approach. “I have been very happy with my performance since Indian Wells. I'm trying to keep my shape. ”Thiem misses the 250cc event in Lyon, where he won his tenth of a total of 13 ATP titles last year, as well as the lawn tournament in Stuttgart, where he triumphed in 2016.
“When I was younger, I needed it. It was difficult for me to get to a big tournament without match practice. I wanted to gain a little confidence on smaller courts, ”said Thiem.
And further: “Now I have more experience and no longer need this preparation. I am not saying that I will completely do without the small tournaments, but with all the trips and the effort I have to be careful. I'm getting a little older every year. ”
Specifically, Thiem is planning with “22, 23 tournaments, that's a good number”. Last year it was 23, 2017 and 2016 he still played at 28 events. A year earlier, he even competed in 30 tournaments and was also involved in a Davis Cup.
Dominic Thiem: "I will double back"
Thiem also wants to significantly reduce his appearances in doubles. In Rome with Jürgen Melzer at the start and after the opening win on Tuesday in the round of 16, the current Masters could even be his last double assignment of the season. "It will always be a minor matter. A very important minor matter, but the single is still the main reason why I am here, ” he clarified in the tennisnet interview after the double final of Madrid .
"In Rome I will play again fully and then I will reduce the whole thing a bit by the end of the year, I think." First, however, the round of 16 is against the number one on the seed list, Lukas Kubot and Marcelo Melo are waiting for Melzer / Thiem.
Dominic Thiem: tournament nominations for the next few weeks
| week | competition |
|---|---|
| 13-19 May 2019 | ATP Masters Rome |
| May 27th. - June 9th, 2019 | French Open |
| 17th-23rd June 2019 | ATP 500 hall |
| 1-14 July 2019 | Wimbledon |