Dominic Thiem devoted his leisure hours while working for a comeback last autumn less to the great deeds of his colleagues on the ATP tour and more to studying what was happening in European football. That's what Thiem said at a press conference in late 2021, when he was still hoping to take part in the ATP Cup and the Australian Open. As is well known, nothing came of it, the re-entry into the tennis circus should take place in Cordoba next week.

The Argentine city is not completely untouched when it comes to football history, but of course Dominic Thiem, born in September 1993, only knows from hearsay that Edi Finger found a reason to get crazy a little more than 15 years before Thiem was born. Those were interesting times back then, with a pronounced German-Austrian rivalry, which also solidified in tennis at the time of Boris Becker and Thomas Muster.

At least since the sporting love marriage between Jürgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner, Austrians and Germans have got along very well on the tour. Dominic Thiem maintains an excellent relationship with Alexander Zverev , Jan -Lennard Struff , but also Philipp Kohlschreiber .

Thiem could meet buddy Schwartzman

Thiem will not meet any of those named when he returns. In return, albeit later in the tournament, possibly on buddy Diego Schwartzman or on Cristian Garin, whom Thiem's coach Nicolas Massu, in his capacity as Chilean Davis Cup captain, drove to victory against Austria a few years ago in Salzburg.

In addition to Massu, father Wolfgang Thiem plays the leading role in the team of the 2020 US Open champion. And Thiem sr. is as realistic as he is optimistic about his son's future. Of course, patience is advisable, Wolfgang Thiem explained to the Kleine Zeitung. But of course: "Dominic can still be number one."

At the moment, the 28-year-old is still in 16th place, but that will change soon when the points from the Australian Open 2020 are dropped. Thiem doesn't have to worry about being eligible to start in ATP tournaments, the protected ranking combined with a few wildcards guarantees an eventful tennis year. How eventful, Cordoba will already give a hint. The next stop in the "Golden Swing" has already been decided: Dominic Thiem is going to Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and the Chilean capital Santiago. These are also cities that have already seen a few football games steeped in history.