French Open: Dominic Thiem - "Sascha Bajin gives Kiki a completely different intensity"
Austria's number one is preparing for its second-round game at the French Open 2019 this Wednesday. And probably also has other tasks.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: May 29, 2019, 08:26 am
By Jens Huiber from Paris
In contrast to the predecessor, the new, perhaps permanent, but also only provisional press center at the Stade Roland Garros offers a lot of legroom for the working journalists. But also three interview halls that are divided by several walls. Small catch: at some point, funds seem to have run out during construction. The last 20 centimeters to the ceiling are missing. As a result, every word from interview room 1 in numbers 2 and 4 can also be heard. And vice versa. The 4-seater is a sympathetic seating ensemble consisting of a table and four chairs.
The entire band of Austrian journalists gathered there on Tuesday evening. And brought a few chairs with me. Dominic Thiem, the reason for the casserole, had asked for the half-hour Pow-Wow, rather he complied with the requests of the reporters to explain the basic questions of tennis life on his day off. They would also be there: the right investment strategy as a high-income professional athlete (no information, the family will take care of it); Mobility in the big city (uses the e-scooter, but parks it non-French, so right); the mandatory wardrobe this Wednesday (Chelsea jersey, but not in the current edition, because the supplier does not fit in the sponsor pool).
Nicolas Massu studies video
However, Wednesday will also be dominated by tennis, both actively and passively. Thiem will playfully prepare for second-round opponent Alexander Bublik, but he will leave the video studies to coach Nicolas Massu. In the afternoon Dominic Thiem can be expected as cheerleader - girlfriend Kristina Mladenovic meets Suzanne Lenglen on the court with Petra Martic. With good chances, which is also due to her new coach.
# BETATHOMEFOWIN #
“It's no secret that Sascha Bajin can do something. He has had tremendous success with every player he has worked with, ”said Thiem. “I notice a big difference because Kiki just trains a lot more. There are two, three hour sessions every day. And I also think that she was missing exactly that. She also trained before. But it is something else with such a trainer who knows his way around. And that gives it a completely different intensity. ”It was like day and night, how Mladenovic is now playing compared to before. This is despite the fact that the collaboration with Bajin is only running for a short time.
The pressure on Kristina Mladenovic is not quite as great compared to previous years. “Kiki played this insane season two years ago. Now it's a little bit better because she's not quite on the radar. But she played really well in Rome and Madrid, also thanks to Sascha, ”continued Thiem.
With the support, Dominic Thiem will move in the player box within the limits of what is allowed. In his match against Tommy Paul, the chair umpire had informed him that he was on the verge of being warned. Because Kiki participates too much in the game.