Dominic Thiem - Madrid in front of his chest, Lyon in his hindquarters
Dominic Thiem returns to the tour next week at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid. Should things not go as desired in the Spanish capital and then in Rome, the Austrian would most likely still play in Lyon before the French Open.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Apr 29, 2021, 10:47 am
On March 16, Dominic Thiem played his last match on the tour against Lloyd Harris in Dubai, and the Austrian will return to the international tennis stage in a few days: At the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid, where the 27-year-old is after Novak Djokovic's cancellation will be placed in third place, but the reigning US Open champion should primarily be about match practice.
Because as Thiem explained to the Kronen Zeitung , he does not expect "no miracles" in the Spanish capital. "I need a few matches to get back in. I don't know whether that will happen in Madrid right away," said the Lower Austrian, who has been preparing for the start of the clay court season with coach Nicolas Massu in Alt Erlaa over the past few weeks.
Thiem with two finals in Madrid
Basically - as a look into the past proves - Thiem feels right at home in the Caja Magica: In 2014 he won his first win against a top ten player against Stan Wawrinka, in 2017 and 2018 the Lichtenwörther even reached the final. In the last edition two years ago, Thiem failed very close to the eventual winner Djokovic in a high-class semi-final.
The omens could be worse for the world number four. If Thiem does not get enough match practice in the next two weeks, another tournament appearance could be on the program for him before the French Open, which starts on May 30th: "If I don't play properly in Madrid and Rome, I'll probably push Lyon before Paris a." The ATP 250 event in France, which Thiem won in 2018, starts on May 17th this year.