Erste Bank Open: Dominic Thiem - "The title with the highest priority"
Dominic Thiem won the Erste Bank Open in Vienna for the first time in his career. After the triumph in the Austrian capital, the 26-year-old was naturally overjoyed.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Oct 27, 2019, 06:33 pm
by Nikolaus Fink from the Wiener Stadthalle
Again a victory had to be done after the setback. When Dominic Thiem had lost the first set in the finals of the ATP-500 tournament in Vienna, memories of the second round match against Fernando Verdasco and the semi-final against Matteo Berrettini came up - both had won the Austrian, in the final was allowed on a new Doubtful comeback.
Endgame opponent Diego Schwartzman had clearly dominated Thiem in the first set and worked his way up, especially from the baseline. But the Lightsworter fought again doggedly and managed the seemingly impossible: for the third time within a tournament to win the set backlog.
Of course, it makes the whole thing even more special, "Thiem said after the game. "The week has been very exhausting, I noticed that at the beginning," the lightwriter hinted at the weak start against his good friend Schwartzman.
"Completely surreal"
But that alone was not the reason for the restrained beginning. "I do not like his game, I'm struggling against him, when I drive, it does not hurt and the high spin does not work that way in the hall," Thiem explained. "The break in the second set to 5: 4 then but has initiated the U-turn."
In the third set Thiem showed then as against Verdasco and Berrettini world-class tennis and did not raise any more doubt about the outcome of the encounter.
"It's totally surreal, I never thought I'd be able to win Kitzbühel and Vienna in a year, so the crowd helped a lot, and it's an incredible advantage to have such a mass of people behind them," Thiem said the frenetic 9600 spectators in the Wiener Stadthalle.
It's an incredible advantage.
Dominic Thiem on the support of the audience
"There are so many things that make a home title special: the mood of having lots of close friends and family, I'm glad I've improved and how I focus my energy on what's important, so that's the title the one I give the highest priority, "said an overjoyed Thiem at the press conference.
With the triumph in Vienna, the world ranking fifth not only won the fifth title of the year, making it the only record holder this season, but also won the first Austrian events in Kitzbühel and in Vienna. In addition, Thiem should finally have cleared the term "sand court specialist" with the success in Vienna from the world.
No pressure in Paris
"Actually, all the big names were hardcourt," the 26-year-old hinted at his first tournament win at the ATP-500 tournament in Acapulco and the triumph at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells. "If I play well, maybe my game is better for Hardcourt."
skywien
On the same surface, it will already continue in the coming week at the 1000 tournament in Paris-Bercy. "I'll see that I play well in Paris - but not for life and death, as in Kitz or here, I play very well, so it can work," Thiem does not want before the event in the French capital too much pressure.
The focus already seems to be heading towards the ATP Finals in London anyway. In so far three participations Thiem never got beyond the preliminary round. "Of course I want to go to the semi-finals, but there is no guarantee for that," says Thiem. For similar performances as in Vienna, however, this should not be an impossibility - self-confidence should Dominic Thiem after the Premierentriumph in Vienna now anyway have enough.