Thiem manager Herwig Straka: "Dominic is in a great mood"
ForDominic Thiem , the last highlight of the year is the ATP Finals in London. His manager Herwig Straka trusts the world number three after surviving a foot injury.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Nov 11, 2020, 08:11 pm
Just one day after Dominic Thiem was named Austria's Sportsman of the Year for the first time, the Lower Austrian went to the ATP Finals in London. In addition to trainer Nicolas Massu, physio Alex Stober, brother Moritz and manager Herwig Straka, who commented on the condition of his protégés before departure.
"He's fully fit again. Dominic has been training fully for several days and is in a great mood," said the Styrian, giving Austrian tennis fans hope. The sole injury that Thiem had hindered at the ATP 500 tournament in Vienna no longer causes problems - but Straka knows that a triumph at the ATP Finals is possibly the greatest challenge in men's tennis.
Thiem meets opponents in top form
Because as every year, the eight best players of the season meet at the year-end finale. This year, in addition to the long-running favorites Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, Paris winners Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Diego Schwartzman and Thiem are also part of the party.
With too much awe, the Lichtenwörther won't go into the last tournament of the year. "He is in a good mood, has already beaten everyone there and everything is possible," said Straka, who also knows about the great shape of some of the London starters: "There are a few players in great shape. Rublev, Medvedev, Sascha Zverev , Djokovic. It's different than usual when a part was already tired or injured. That certainly doesn't make it easier. "
Simple, that much is already clear before the draw on Thursday evening (6:00 p.m. CET), the Thiems group will not be either. But also in 2019 the 27-year-old caught a hammer group, but beat both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in it. His great form led Thiem to the final, in which he was only defeated by Stefanos Tsitsipas in the tie-break of the third set.
Despite missing the title, Straka still sees last year's great race as a big step in the development of his protégé: "London was extremely important to him, it was - as many people there said - a kind of changing of the guard. Everyone was there, and Two next-generation players played the final against an unbelievable backdrop. It was an extremely important learning process for Dominic and also for Tsitsipas. It was also extremely important for self-confidence and standing on the tour. "
Straka doesn't see a favorite
Nevertheless, Novak Djokovic is the bookmaker's favorite for the title. "I believe that Medvedev, Rublev, Dominic and also Zverev are close. I don't dare to say that one of them is more of a favorite than the others," says Straka. The field of participants this year is also very even in terms of form.
In view of this, a prediction for the ATP Finals - as almost every year - is almost impossible to make. According to Straka, surviving the group phase is the goal for Thiem: "If he wins more than one match in the preliminary round and makes it to the semifinals or finals, that would be brilliant."