US Open: Dominic Thiem - "That can be a really great match"
Dominic Thiem is in the semifinals of the US Open for the first time after his three-set win against Alex de Minaur . The Austrian number one is looking forward to the match against last year's finalist Daniil Medvedev .
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Sep 10, 2020, 09:34 am
Alex Stober basically likes to work in the background, even if Dominic Thiem's physiotherapist gets quite a bit of airtime during tennis broadcasts. No wonder, Stober is the man who spends most of the time with Thiem on the tour. And who already flexed his muscles after the success of his protégé against Félix Auger-Aliassime. After the night session on Wednesday and the 6: 1, 6: 2 and 6: 4 against Alex de Minaur, Stober demonstrated strength again with the tense biceps: the strength of Dominic Thiem, who with the exception of a short phase in the third act through a tough opponents.
So it is the next semifinal in a Grand Slam tournament for Thiem, his second on hard court, the premiere in New York City. Two years ago, the Austrian was close to Rafael Nadal , failed in the tie-break of the fifth set very long after midnight. In a very well-filled Arthur Ashe Stadium, which pushed the players more and more as the match continued. This is exactly what Alex Stober is now doing, with coach Nicolas Massu at the forefront of the Thiem pit.
Thiem against Medvedev on the court twice in 2019
Dominic Thiem will work with the Chilean in the next day and a half on a strategy to survive against Daniil Medvedev. The only player who hasn't lost a set at the 2020 US Open. Thiem against Medvedev, this game took place twice in 2019, once in Barcelona, once in Montreál. On both occasions one of the two players was not in full possession of his powers, Medvedev made it to the final in Barcelona tired, Thiem already half sick in the match in Canada.
Thiem also noted this in his press conference after the match. “In Barcelona and before that in Monte Carlo he played very long games and was then completely in the final, and after 20 minutes he broke away completely. And in Montreal, I wasn't there. These two games are really not for reference. ”On Friday, New York City will be very different. “We both play well. And I think that, together with Sascha Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas , we are the closest to the Big Three in terms of our level. And above all, to play this level in a Grand Slam match for a long time. And that's exactly what I plan to do. That I play without holes, because that's what he'll do too. And then it can be a really great match. "
Praise for Alexander Zverev
Many observers did not find Alexander Zverev's performance against Borna Coric quite as cool. Dominic Thiem has not seen his German friend's entire match, but does not share this assessment. “It's true that the two of them didn't go at top speed in the tie-break of the second set, but neither of them made any mistakes. It's just difficult. Because if one gets offensive, the other counter immediately. You both chose this tactic, you have to accept that. It was a chance for both of them to move into a semifinal at a Grand Slam tournament. In the end it was a great performance by Sascha after a completely screwed up first sentence. "
In any case, Dominic Thiem can only be accused of a lack of aggressiveness in the rarest of matches. But even against Daniil Medvedev, like against Alex de Minaur, it will be important to use the offensive in a controlled manner. Maybe even more controlled. Because the Russian is also an excellent counter player. In contrast to de Minaur, Medvedev can maintain his level over the full distance of a match.
Here is the single tableau at the US Open 2020