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Dominic Thiem will begin the mission to defend the title at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna on Tuesday. At the opening press conference, the Austrian spoke about his draw, his expectations for the tournament and his physical condition.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: October 25, 2020, 02:29 pm
By Michael Rothschädl of the Wiener Stadthalle
There was great excitement at the Wiener Stadthalle last year when Dominic Thiem, the local hero, concluded the final duel with his friend Diego Schwartzman with a forehand, knelt and surrendered to the cheers of the frenzied home crowd. It is already clear before the start of the ATP 500 event that the situation will be completely different in 2020.
The Austrian from Lower Austria faces two new eventualities, on the one hand he has to prevail against a significantly stronger field of participants, but on the other hand he can only expect around 1000 spectators at the Wiener Stadthalle. “Of course, many things are different this year, we are in the bubble, I will sleep in a hotel in Vienna for the first time and not at home. But first of all, I am happy to be able to play in Vienna this year,” said number three of the world. about special events in the Austrian capital.
Despite the small number of spectators, there will be at least a touch of the atmosphere of the game at home for Lichtenwörther, which is also and especially due to the pitch, which is transferred to the Wiener Stadthalle. The same rebounding courts are played at the Austrian Tennis Committee (ATC) Academy, co-founded by Father Thiem, which the world number three inaugurated in a preparatory training session with Stan Wawrinka in the middle of last week.
Six top 10 players on the field
“The conditions are great. I had a training session with Novak Djokovic this morning and will be training again in the afternoon. The pace is quite medium so he is ready for some great tennis. I am looking forward to a very special week.” said the Austrian at the opening press conference. There will also be Novak Djokovic, who will likely be the biggest contender for the title at home, though with Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev and Diego Schwartzman, four other top-10s make up the field of ATP 500 Adorn events.
“It will be almost a Mission Impossible to be able to defend the title here, but of course I want to play for the title,” the Austrian said of the challenge in particular. When asked if it would be difficult to set new goals after the great victory at the US Open, the world number three had a very clear answer: “Of course I will not look too far back now, now I will find new Set goals. And Vienna is, of course a great place to start, “says Thiem.
Nishikori didn’t start
In any case, the mission to defend the title at the Erste Bank Open will start with the “THIEMstag” branding especially for the home favorite, in which the Austrian will serve against Kei Nishikori. An opponent for whom the US Open winner has only positive words to say: “It was to be expected that a great name was waiting in the first round. Players like Kei are always very dangerous, they can always be in top form week after week. “. Now you will see some scenes from Nishikori’s first round match at the French Open. A video analysis of Nishikori’s last hard court match in 2019 is also planned. “But I know what it’s like to play against him. We’ve already played four or five games.”
Meanwhile, Lower Austria is convinced to the contrary that the physical exertion that Thiem had emphasized over and over again during the French Open could become a problem: “The tanks are quite full, although of course it was very, very exhausting. , because together with physical and emotional stress, life in the bubble is very demanding “. But now he has regenerated well and has put his feet completely upright for a few days. “Now it took me a few days to fully recover,” Thiem said. Who wants to start doubles tomorrow in addition to the two practice sessions today? “So I hope to be 100% on Tuesday.”
Here you can find all the information about the Erste Bank Open!
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