tennisnet.com ATP › Grand Slam › French Open

French Open: Dominic Thiem - Subtle greeting to us Daenerys disciples?

Dominic Thiem played extraterrestrial tennis against Casper Ruud at times. But does the US Open Champ even share a passion with us mere mortals?

by Jens Huiber
last edit: Oct 03, 2020, 09:15 am

Wer gewinnt? Tippt jetzt!
Dominic Thiem knows that winter is coming
© Getty Images
Dominic Thiem knows that winter is coming

How did Dr. Evil in one of the parts of the "Austin Powers" series that is not that great in retrospect? "Need the info." Exactly. It is the same with all those reporters who made it into the digital bubble of the French Open 2020, a few weeks ago in New York City it was no different. Under normal circumstances, the inclined scribe would organize the training plan of the players he is interested in, pursue the underestimated trade of the lapwing, and bring information from Court 17 in the training center "Jean Bouin" that money cannot buy (also because it is nothing are worth).

However, at (technically excellent) virtual press conferences there are numerous noble pens in the home office, vying for the favor of the real, but rarely visible moderator, for this one, the all-important question to the hero or the heroin of the day to be allowed. The later the tournament, the bigger the host of us keyboard artists becomes: Anyone who held back in Dominic Thiem's succinct first-round victory against Marin Cilic, raises his virtual hand after the impressive success against Casper Ruud and goes verbally so steeply that Thiem has to counter at least as concentrated as in the initial phase against the Norwegian.

Alone: The really crucial question does not arise. Because the author queued up too late for the food service, there wasn't a crumb of Thiem word donations left.

thiemruud

Dominic Thiem in the tradition of Jon Snow

Dominic Thiem had made an announcement in his on-court interview with Cedric Pioline that would have brought fear and cold shivers over many (too) hairy men from King's Landing to the night watch high in the north: "Winter is coming." That leaves no one from the Starks clan, well, cold, such a statement arouses desires in all aficionados of "Game of Thrones", and not least the inner Tyrion Lannister, who thinks himself smarter than the rest of the world, only to to find out again and again that this is the world's warmest sausage.

So what do we know about Dominic Thiem? In the past, when he was able to exchange detailed information with Jan-Lennard Struff about a German TV series. It could have been "Alarm for Cobra 11" if the memory is not wrong. The way from the German Autobahn to Winterfell is rocky, but for someone who, like Jon Snow, has plowed through the tableau in New York (noble, fair and successful; yes, spoiler alert, like good Jon is also good Dominic von the dead came back, in the final against Sascha Zverev ), no impossibility.

Naomi Osaka - the strongest woman in the world

So one would have liked to have asked who the subtle message was addressed to: To Team Daenerys, which could have shrunk in numbers due to slight upheavals of the Dragon Queen in the last season? Team Sansa, who, like Naomi Osaka in New York in 2018, turned from a reserved position into the strongest woman in the world? Or about Team Hound, for whom any result other than a two to three-fold 6: 0 is tantamount to a personal insult?

You don't know, maybe there will be another opportunity to get to the bottom of the matter. Perhaps one should have just listened more closely: Strictly speaking, Dominic Thiem said on the Philippe-Chatrier court: “The winter is coming.” There is only one word difference, but what a difference! Because neither the Starks nor the Lannisters nor the Targaryans could have done anything with that.

Here is the single tableau at the French Open

rg2020

by Jens Huiber

Saturday
Oct 03, 2020, 03:15 pm
last edit: Oct 03, 2020, 09:15 am