Thiem gives himself until the end of the year

At 1.10 p.m. the spook was over and Dominic Thiem was eliminated after only 2:02 hours without winning a set at the French Open, which was endowed with 43.6 million euros. As in the previous year, the curtain fell in round one of the 28-year-old Lichtenwörther’s favorite tennis tournament, who will lose 180 points from the 2020 Paris quarter-finals on June 13 and thus fall out of the top 350 in the world. The Bolivian clay court specialist Hugo Dellien relentlessly showed Thiem the current limits at 6: 3, 6: 2, 6: 4.

“Patience” is the most used word at the moment in the rare media appointments of the former US Open champion, who is taking a step back after the eleventh defeat en suite and before Wimbledon (from June 27th) two challenger tournaments in Italy (first Perugia/6. June, then Parma/June 13).

Thiem’s ​​gaze at the press conference in the jam-packed hall two is empty, the extreme disappointment is palpable, the interest in his person remains unbroken despite the stuttering comeback after a ten-month break due to a serious wrist injury. The media world wants to know: what’s going on with one of the superstars of the scene – with the man who made it to the finals here in Roland Garros in 2018 and 2019?

“That would be extremely unfair”

Thiem issues perseverance slogans, his support team around coach Nicolas Massu is not available. “Certainly not, I’m very satisfied. That would be extremely unfair to my environment and also to me if I were to worry. The time was just far too short for that,” emphasized the 17-time ATP tournament winner.

As of now, it’s all about hard, consistent work. “If I’m still without a win at the end of the year, I’ll have to think about something in my game,” Thiem mused. He just needs longer than others after breaks. “It was like that when I was young. I have to be able to expect it, even if it’s extremely bitter and frustrating to sit here again after a defeat and chant the same sentences.”

The French audience would have loved to have carried Thiem to victory on the pretty Court Simonne-Mathieu, which only opened in 2019 – with a capacity of 5000 spectators the third largest stadium on the facility behind a glass facade in the botanical garden. But there was just a lot missing. Way too much.

Cheers of “Allez, Dominic” made the rounds – until it became clear that not even a flowerpot would be won. Then the up to 3500 fans celebrated themselves – with the “wave”.

The statistics paint a frightening overall picture: Thiem made 42 unforced errors, he didn’t have a single break chance, although Dellien is not one of the outstanding servers in the ATP circus. That must make you think.

“I miss the feeling”

The best way to see progress is through training. “A win would help a lot. But to be honest: I’ve been pretty far from success in all the matches I’ve played since the comeback. The tension is greater in the games, the nervousness – that’s poison for me Forehand. I miss the feeling. There are a lot of mistakes,” admitted Thiem. “My shots aren’t powerful enough, not just the forehand. The first service doesn’t hurt the opponent, the backhand isn’t long enough, not fast enough. Sometimes I make stupid decisions – especially in key situations. It is what it is .”

Would a mental coach help? “I didn’t think about that. I never had one. But I’ve also never been in a situation like this. Of course it was easier when I won a lot – no question about it. Basically, I’m open to everything that helps me progress.”

Ofner fought back as best he could

Sebastian Ofner had qualified for the main competition of a Grand Slam tournament for the second time after 2017 (3rd round in Wimbledon), but in the first round Olympic champion Alexander Zverev (1.98 m) was a size too big.

The third in the world rankings from Hamburg kept the upper hand in front of a good 5000 spectators on the Court Suzanne Lenglen with 6:2, 6:4, 6:4. The consolation prize for the 26-year-old from Styria, who is suffering from persistent heel problems, is 62,000 euros gross.