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US Open: Dominic Thiem - Coach Massu also plays

Dominic Thiem starts his 2019 US Open campaign on Tuesday. The Austrian is the favorite against Thomas Fabbiano to move on to the second round.

by Jens Huiber
last edit: Aug 27, 2019, 01:34 pm

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Dominic Thiem can be confident
© GEPA Pictures
Dominic Thiem can be confident

By Jens Huiber from New York City

Alex Stober is one of the great communicators in the tennis circus. Dominic Thiem's well-traveled physiotherapist maintains contacts in all directions, and so Stober chats during a short training break with his protégé with Thorben Beltz, coach in the service of Donna Vekic, who next door slows down a training bouquet with Sloane Stephens. Or with Carlos Moya, who tries to give Rafael Nadal the finishing touches two courts away.

It doesn't have to be a bad sign that Stober can leave his protégé unobserved for a few minutes: after the health question marks of the last few days, Thiem is again very smooth in his one-hour session with Marcelo Arevalo. In addition, the tasks on the court are in the hands of Nicolas Massu. The Chilean coach is at least as agile as his Austrian protégé, but Massu does not have to serve as a hitting partner on Monday afternoon.

But in the second session at half past four in the afternoon local time. Where for Thiem it's also about fine-tuning the return, one of the small weaknesses of the number four in the world.

Thiem always goes at full speed

The problem is of course never to push Dominic Thiem. The quarter-finalist of the previous year had to be slowed down rather, the father Wolfgang communicated something similar to tennisnet a few days ago. Starting training again too early can be fatal before a Grand Slam tournament. But now things are going up again with the Austrian number one, step by step, as the team of the soon to be 26-year-old says. The mood of optimism will certainly not have harmed the success of girlfriend Kristina Mladenovic against Angelique Kerber.

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No health problems are known from Thomas Fabbiano. The Italian, Thiem's first-round opponent on Tuesday (second match after 6 p.m. CEST, live on Eurosport and in our live ticker), had organized Alexander Zverev as a playmate for the afternoon. After his strong performances in Wimbledon, where he successively defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas and Ivo Karlovic in five sets, Fabbiano reached the quarterfinals in Gstaad.

Epic match against Nadal

However, the current number 87 in the world is a clear outsider in the game at Arthur Ashe Stadium, which Dominic Thiem, together with Rafael Nadal, electrified until after two in 2018. A mood like that magical night is not to be expected for the first round encounter between Thiem and Fabbiano. Especially on the first days of the tournament, many spectators also enjoy matches on the outside courts.

There is no question that Dominic Thiem is also a great communicator. Hardly anyone with whom Thiem does not maintain a professional, friendly relationship in the tennis circus, with some, like Diego Schwartzman, even a little more. And so Thiem likes to pick up balls that the Argentine passes to him. Literally. When Schwartzman entered the courts for his training session, he kicked a soccer ball towards the Austrian. Thiem picked up the template, gave the leather, while at the same time he put on a new grip. It looks like all systems are back in full operation.

by Jens Huiber

Tuesday
Aug 27, 2019, 08:01 am
last edit: Aug 27, 2019, 01:34 pm