Dominic Thiem - No Belgrade, only comeback in Madrid
Due to knee problems, Dominic Thiem will only return to the tennis tour at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid. The Austrian announced this on his homepage.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Apr 15, 2021, 08:19 pm
The French Open has been postponed by a week - and Dominic Thiem now has to take a few more days to prepare for the highlight of the season on Ashes. "It just doesn't want to run in 2021. With a heavy heart I unfortunately have to cancel my start next week at Novak Djokovic's home tournament in Belgrade. My knee is painful, I've already had a doctor examine myself. Not a big problem, but rest is I'm definitely not fit enough to take part in Belgrade next week, " said Thiem on his website on Thursday .
The original plan to return to the tour in Belgrade is therefore obsolete. Now the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid is targeted. "There I want to be completely fit by the beginning of May at the latest, in order to be able to show decent tennis again," said Thiem.
Not an easy thing for Thiem, who lost his last match to date in Dubai against Lloyd Harris. Because the altitude of Madrid brings with it special requirements. That Dominic Thiem can hardly simulate during training. The other option would have been to enter the Caja Magica with match practice. On the other hand, Thiem has already shown strong performances in Madrid, standing in the final in 2017 (loss to Rafael Nadal ) and 2018 (loss to Alexander Zverev).
Thiem could play in Geneva or Lyon
The game plan then provides for a mission in Rome. At the tournament in Foro Italico in 2017, Thiem defeated his eternal opponent on Asche, Rafael Nadal, in two sets, then failed smoothly to Novak Djokovic. The last memories of Rome are not that great: Almost two years ago, Thiem was eliminated in his first appearance against Fernando Verdasco.
So now there are two weeks between Rome and Roland Garros. This circumstance offers Dominic Thiem the chance to gain more match practice at a smaller tournament (e.g. in Geneva or Lyon).