Dominic Thiem - South America this time no fountain of youth
Dominic Thiem has always taken at least one title from the South America tour in recent years. This time Austria's number one has to leave empty-handed. Now it is reportedly being considered to insert a tournament before Indian Wells.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Feb 20, 2019, 03:25 pm
Dominic Thiem completed seven matches on the ATP tour in 2019 - and the inclined observer can hardly avoid thinking that there was only a somewhat “normal” hiding underneath: the quarter-finals in Buenos Aires against Pablo Cuevas. Thiem did not seem to be at the level of his creative strength, but still fought to win after a deficit.
An actually familiar affair on the South American clay court tour, which for Thiem is limited to appearances in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. In Argentina and in 2016 it worked with the title, in the Olympic city of 2016 in the year after the largest sports festival in the world, which Thiem had omitted.
Nicolas Massu on board
This year, however, the Lower Austrian is taking less than expected: Laslo Djere is an opponent that Thiem should have under normal circumstances. But little is normal in these first two months of the ATP season. Thiem had to be treated early by the physio, to what extent the 25-year-old had to struggle with a handicap in his opening match in Rio, only the internal Thiem circle knows.
Nicolas Massu is now expanding as a tour coach. Massu, who as a two-time gold medalist from Athens 2004 appreciates the Olympic Games as only Andy Murray knows, is an emotional guy who can sweep players away. But best from the bank - as the Davis Cup captain of Chile. Nevertheless, Günter Bresnik will have his reasons to take the charismatic on board.
Bresnik himself was surprised and disappointed by the performance of his protégé towards the Austria Press Agency. "Dominic looked tired - tired and slow. You didn't have the feeling that he was in control of the game. He was extremely tired physically, not lively. I'm actually totally surprised. With such a poor performance I have nothing at all expected."
Thiem 2019 with four losses
Match analysis does not require a coach or the statistical material from ATP. Dominic Thiem remembers every game situation and can explicitly dissect what went wrong immediately after a game. Bresnik explained this to tennisnet in Kitzbühel in summer 2017.
In 2019 there are already four defeats to be analyzed that could hardly be more different: Pierre-Hugues Herbert was not a grateful start-up in Doha, Thiem does not like the playing facilities of the French at all. The body went on strike against Alexei Popyrin at the Australian Open. The semifinals from Buenos Aires must win Thiem against Diego Schwartzman, after break before in sets two and three. And then the current bankruptcy against Djere.
Next stop: Indian Wells. Or Sao Paolo?
According to APA, Team Thiem is now thinking aloud about inserting a tournament before Indian Wells. Acapulco on hard court could be chosen (Thiem won the title there in 2016) or the ATP Tour 250 event in Sao Paolo.
According to the original plan, the Austrian number one would only be expected again in Indian Wells, the tournament in which he twisted his ankle against Pablo Cuevas last year. Then it goes to Miami, where it is played in a new environment. The good news for Dominic Thiem: He has hardly any points to defend and can start the two big hard court tournaments without being stressed. As in an event of his choice before.