French Open 2022: Dominic Thiem - courage with Andre Agassi?
After his exit from the French Open 2022, Dominic Thiem will now compete in two Challenger tournaments. A comeback path that another celebrity has already taken: Andre Agassi.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: May 23, 2022, 06:03 pm
Maybe Dominic Thiem will encourage Andre Agassi's example again. The crazy tale of the American superstar who was ridiculed a quarter century ago as the "Burger King of tennis", "overweight and undermotivated" (New York Times) in deep trouble. Then, in the fall of 1997, Agassi suddenly appeared in Challenger tournaments, in the second division of world tennis. Even at home, in Las Vegas, Agassi played in front of a small crowd, in a barren environment, he won the competition against the German Christian Vinck. The hard step back was necessary, Agassi reported much later, “to get your feet on the ground again, to gain self-confidence, simply to experience the feeling of victory.” A good year and a half later, Agassi was the king of Roland Garros, at the same time, his fairytale return to his former glory washed him back to number 1 in the world rankings. From 141st place at the peak and trough of the crisis.
Dominic Thiem could also use victories. Urgently even. Because in contemporary tennis there is no player who, after injury complaints and a sporting malaise, is in such trouble as the 28-year-old Austrian - the man who defeated his German buddy Alexander Zverev at the Ghost Grand Slam in New York in 2020 Snatched Open title. Thiem, who now also wants to start in the Challenger series at the beginning of June, was considered a potential heir to the Big Three in those days, as the gripping heir to the throne of Novak Djokovic , Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal . But when he suffered a bitter three-set defeat against the Bolivian Hugo Dellien on Court Simonne-Mathieu on the opening Sunday of the French Open 2022, he was something of the biggest problem child in the tennis caravan. With the seventh defeat in a row, Thiem only seemed like a shadow of days gone by, without courage, without confidence, without the power and precision of the past. Later, during the question-and-answer game with the press entourage, he himself admitted his doubts and despondency: He couldn't really get rid of the cramping and trepidation that had stubbornly accompanied him up to this point in the comeback attempt. The most recent failure this season at the Stade Roland Garros was "painful but not unexpected," said Thiem.
Men's tennis has been characterized by fantastic comebacks in recent years, especially at the top. Rafael Nadal, the pain world champion, always returned triumphant from forced breaks, his Grand Slam title record now stands at 21 victory missions. Roger Federer crowned the newcomer after the first long injury break by winning the Australian Open in 2017. Even today, this moment seems "unreal, like a fairy tale" to the Swiss: "It was, without a doubt, the most emotional, because the most unexpected victory of my career. Novak Djokovic has also just returned to a top position after starting the year with a visa affair, a ban on starting in Australia and a sporting downturn. At the other end of the scale, alongside the Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro, who has since retired, is Thiem, who was once so naturally powerful, whose motto for many years of apprenticeship with ex-coach Günter Bresnik was: "Full mail." Which meant, according to Thiem himself : “Hash every ball with all your might. For hours."
Thiem doesn't seem free in his head
But that's history, a memory of the time together with Bresnik. The duo, who have been inseparable for many years, now meet more often in legal skirmishes than in decent conversations between former allies. Thiem's current problems not only have to do with the aftermath of his wrist injury, but also with too much turbulence in the notorious player environment. Too many actors with too many opinions and advice acted in Thiem's entourage, says an Austrian media insider, "the family is the core of the problem." In the head, the formerly gripping, perfectly structured Thiem just doesn't seem free, after his defeat against Dellien he remembered remembers a moment when he made slight forehand errors five times in a row: "I thought: What the hell is going on here?"
In the best of times, Thiem could always rely on his outstanding physique, which gave him support and confidence. If you know that you can still go the "extra route", it's just a good feeling, says Thiem, "that creates security." But now everything has been wiped away, the stability, the trust, also the order and clarity in the Team Thiem. After the French Open, Thiem will drop from 190th place in the world rankings to around 370th place. It seems like a fall into nothing.
So now the way into the territory of the Challenger competitions. The next stages for the former crown prince of world tennis are Perugia and Parma. Nothing will be easier for him there, he will mostly meet younger, ambitious players who, like himself, hope to make it to the top one day. And for whom a win against Thiem would be like a trophy.
Here the individual tableau in Roland Garros
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