Using the example of Thiem vs. Lajovic - exhibition fights are fun
The first day of the Adria Tour organized by Novak Djokovic showed what makes good tennis apart from the professional tour: full commitment from those involved.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Jun 14, 2020, 09:55 am
Yes, the Adriatic Tour is only one day old. And yes: in his match against Viktor Troicki, Novak Djokovic also hit a few balls with a ball boy. And yes, in the third set Dominic Thiem played a tweener against Dusan Lajovic, which was not absolutely necessary (and which nevertheless led to success). But all in all: it was fun to watch the men in Belgrade at work.
Because even if no ATP points are awarded: Thiem, Lajovic, Djokovic or Alexander Zverev are very enthusiastic. The German number one, starting very bumpy against Filip Krajinovic, even had a verbal duel with chair umpire Marijana Veljovic over a ball print that Zverev saw significantly closer to the line than the game manager.
Thiem with Physio Stober in Belgrade
Just how seriously Dominic Thiem takes the whole thing is shown by the fact that Physio Alex Stober, who was with Thiem at the Generali Austrian Pro Series last week in Südstadt, also traveled to Belgrade. For years, Stober has made sure that his protégé is one of the fittest on the tour - which, however, is not so important in the format that is played in Belgrade: whoever wins two short sentences up to four is free from the spokeswoman to congratulate.
And that would have been almost Lajovic on Saturday evening, who was unable to use three match balls in the tie-break of the third set (played at 3: 3). Thiem had already led with a break in the decision, but gave up his serve game to 3: 3 a bit sloppy. Which met with approval from the audience. And the audience in general: what a difference it makes when people sit in the stands again (and there are quite a few in Serbia - after the cup match between Red Star and Partizan Belgrade was held in front of almost 20,000 fans this week) .