Austria’s tennis star Dominic Thiem didn’t get the worst ticket for the first round of the French Open in Paris, which begins on Sunday. The 28-year-old, who has been waiting for a win on the ATP tour for more than a year, will start with the Bolivian Hugo Dellien of the same age. It is the first encounter between the two protanogists, who are currently separated by 107 positions in the world rankings. Dellien is in 87th place, Thiem is only 194th and still confident of ending his long dry spell. “I will go my way and not deviate from it,” said the 2020 US Open champion.
Perhaps the tide is turning for the better in his “living room” of all places. Thiem was in the final of the French Open in 2018 and 2019, and twice in the semifinals. This time the Lichtenwörther is one of the blatant outsiders, he is in a tournament grid with co-favorite Carlos Alcaraz (Esp) and Olympic champion Alexander Zverev (D).
Defending champion Novak Djokovic, who starts against Yoshihito Nishioka (Jpn), could already meet Paris record winner Rafael Nadal (13 titles) in the quarterfinals.
Source: Nachrichten
