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Dominic Thiem has after his opening success against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2020 ATP Finals satisfied with the results. Despite difficult circumstances, the US Open champion is happy to be able to practice his profession.
by Jens Huiber
Last edit: November 15, 2020, 7:29 pm
© Getty Images
The 2020 ATP Finals are moving very fast, not just in terms of playing surface. After his first win against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Dominic Thiem had lifted him almost to the same height as a grass field in terms of speed. That is why the slice service is also particularly suitable as a styling device. Thiem had the best experiences in the fifth game of the third set against Tsitsipas, breaking free from critical situations. The fact that the Greek lost this serve a bit over the course of the game may have been only a small part of the mosaic of Thiem’s final successful revenge.
The players were also in a hurry after the game: Stefanos Tsitispas had already participated in the virtual press room when Thiem was still packing his things. Setting a full match at one point would be remiss, but the point at 5: 6 from Tsitsipas’s point of view in the first-set tie-break was at least worth remembering. Thiem could barely get a ball off his opponent over the net, Tsitsipas’s equalization was pure formality. A thought. Tsitsipas hit the ball on the racket for Thiem, lost the rally and the set.
Thiem against winner between Rublev and Nadal
Dominic Thiem, otherwise a walking encyclopedia in terms of the course of the game, couldn’t remember exactly the sequence of shots. Only the consequence. And that was just the victory of the first sentence. Not much has been won for Thiem yet (except for a good number of awards and 200 ATP world ranking points), and all is not lost for Tsitsipas either. In 2019, Roger Federer had no chance against Thiem at first, but reached the semi-finals with successes against Matteo Berrettini and Novak Djokovic.
Thiem will play the winner of the match between Rafael Nadal and Andrey Rublev on Tuesday, that’s what the ATP Finals procedure wants. A year ago that worked out quite well for the Austrian number one: after the win against Federer, the epic triumph against Novak Djokovic followed and with it the early entry into the semi-finals.
Tsitsipas failed in the end
Regarding the match against Tsitsipas, Thiem stressed that the level of last year’s final was superior. Since both would have acted up to their art, most of the game. In the opening match of the 2020 Finals, unforced errors and heavily played points alternated. The match ball will only be remembered for its importance to the course of the tournament.
In any case, Thiem is in shape: the match was only on the 30th of the year, with so few that he has never come to London. Still, it is exhausting, especially in big cities like New York or now in the British capital. Three minutes of fresh air a day, that’s the most you get, continues Thiem. And no sun. But that does not mean that the US Open champion is not aware of his privileged situation. It’s great that the event is taking place.
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Thiem Dominic Tsitsipas Stefanos