Dominic Thiem serves at the exhibition event before the Australian Open
After the disappointing appearance at Adelaide's ATP 250 event, Dominic Thiem will not serve a second time in the city of millions, instead the Austrian will appear at the Kooyong Classic exhibition event in Melbourne before the Australian Open.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Jan 08, 2023, 06:32 pm
After the quiet exit in the qualification for the ATP 250 event in Adelaide, it has become unusually quiet around Dominic Thiem. No statement as to whether the winless start makes staying in Adelaide necessary. No statement as to how the downright smack against the Korean can be explained. Instead: a photo on social media showing the Austrian training with compatriot Sebastian Ofner.
Dominic Thiem has been in Melbourne for a few days to fine-tune himself for the Australian Open on the training court. For the major event in which Thiem reached the final in 2020 and only narrowly lost out against serial winner Novak Djokovic. The 29-year-old last started in Melbourne in 2021, when it was a disappointing defeat in the round of 16 against Grigor Dimitrov. Thiem was absent last year due to injury.
Thiem at exhibition level at the start
One thing is also certain: Thiem will still be able to get a taste of competition air before the Australian Open - even if only at exhibition level. The Austrian will be at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne from January 10th to 12th, where Andy Murray, Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz, among others, will be honored.
Dominic Thiem is only at the Australian Open thanks to a wildcard. Due to a shift in the bottom places, the Austrian has only been back in the top 100 of the ATP world rankings since Monday. After the US Open triumph in 2020, Thiem was still third.