Erste Bank Open: Dominic Thiem - "There are days when there is no fatigue"
Dominic Thiem is in the final of Vienna for the first time - and promises to let everything go on in the final against Diego Schwartzman(from 14 clock in the live ticker!) Again.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Oct 27, 2019, 11:19 am
by Nikolaus Fink from the Wiener Stadthalle
With his fiercely contested three-goal success over Matteo Berrettini, Dominic Thiem put all of Tennis Austria into a collective frolic of joy - and that on the national holiday, of all places. "It was a very special day for everyone involved, and the hall was full from the first to the last."
Not surprisingly, the match against the Italian in the shape of his life mutated into a high-class encounter, in which both players gave nothing. "It was a very high-level match, we are both in top form, so it was a very good match and the absolute highlight was that I won in the end," Thiem admitted at the press conference Protocol.
The 26-year-old was anything but good in the semi-finals, Berrettini dominated especially with his forehand and won the first set earned 6: 3. "Of the four matches that was certainly the weakest start, I got three breaks - that's just too much in the hall," explained Thiem.
Hype around Thiem unbroken
But gradually Thiem increased, his game became much more aggressive and the return worked better in the course of the encounter. "After the break in the second set, I had the belief that I win the game," said the light phrasemaker, who offered almost universally in the third round world-class tennis.
As a reason for the performance explosion Thiem led in addition to his enormous self-confidence, the 9500 spectators in the completely sold-out Wiener Stadthalle: "That was the best mood I've ever experienced. It's great fun to play here and it really helps."
The hype surrounding the Lichtenwörther in the Austrian capital continues unabated: just 20 minutes after the end of the game between Thiem and Berrettini, the last 2000 tickets for the final day were sold. "That's really cool, I'm glad that it will be sold out again," said Thiem.
Final against Diego Schwartzman
In the final, Thiem is against the player who was most likely to give him the water in the week of Vienna: Diego Schwartzman. The little Argentinean played with sensational tennis in the hearts of the audience, "Diego, Diego" speaking choirs were not uncommon in the city hall.
"It's going to be a great match against one of my best friends on the tour, we talked about a possible final since the beginning of the week, we played at home in February and now we're playing in his living room," Schwartzman recalled Semi final victory over Gael Monfils to the semi-finals in Buenos Aires this year.
The match plan changes a bit.
Diego Schwartzman on the fact that in the hall is played
In the Argentine capital, the 27-year-old prevailed in three highly competitive sets, overall, Thiem is in Head to Head but progressed 4-2. However, the meeting in Vienna will be the first in a hall.
"The match plan changes a little bit, he usually tries to act with a lot of spin and a lot of kick on the serve to open the court, that will change a bit, but he has all the weapons to play very well in every seat." Schwartzman did not look at the charts too much.
Thiem can get Austria-Double
Thiem expects a "completely different match" in the final ( from 2:00 pm in the Tennisnet liveticker ) compared to the semi-final round. The Gaucho's golfer's game is likely to be better than that of Berrettini in the World Ranking Fifth. Schwartzman can not produce as much pressure on both the serve and the forehand as the Roman, but his strengths lie in footwork and return.
skywien
However, the 26-year-old does not feel the additional pressure of Thiem being the first Austrian to win in Kitzbühel and Vienna. "It has never been in my mind to win both tournaments."
A few moments later Thiem clarified the meaning of the home event: "It's a very special match tomorrow, like every finale." In any case, the fans do not have to worry about the fitness status of the crowd favorite: "There are days like the French Open Final or tomorrow, there is no fatigue."