Austria’s tennis star Dominic Thiem said goodbye to Vienna with a crying eye, but also with a declaration of war. “I would have liked to have played longer, there were so many emotions inside. Now I will do everything I can to come back as a top player next year,” said the 29-year-old from Lichtenwörther after the 3-6, 3-6 defeat against Daniil Medvedev (Rus) in a message to his loyal fans. 9500 had turned the town hall into a real madhouse, and the remaining days of the tournament until tomorrow’s final (2 p.m., ServusTV) of the Erste Bank Open 500 are almost sold out.
Intensive program
Thiem is a bit tired and will recharge his batteries on a vacation of almost two weeks. That’s not surprising, because in the past three weeks (semi-finals in Gijon and Antwerp, round of 16 in Vienna), the former US Open champion has made an enormous number of meters. Before the duel with Medvedev, the 17-time ATP tournament winner had four three-set matches with a total playing time of ten hours and 52 minutes in his bones.
Thiem does not accept that as an excuse. “I’m sure there are still a few percent left. If I let up, I’ll get the bill immediately,” explained the Lower Austrian: “I need perfectly coordinated preparation with a combination of fitness and full intensity on the pitch. I can do that again take a step forward.”
With the 20 additional world ranking points to be credited to him (he can replace the missed Masters in Indian Wells with another tournament), Thiem would already be number 100 in the world in the ATP live ranking, giving him a place in the main competition of the Australian Open (from January 17th). ) secure. The declared goal has been achieved, which is why the red-white-red number one drew an early line under this season. He canceled the planned appearance in the Paris qualifiers (at the weekend), and challenger tournaments are no longer an issue.
The whole focus is on 2023, the preparation for it takes place at the exhibition level. Thiem can also do something for the “purse”. He is one of 12 invited players who will compete for a total of $3 million in prize money at The Diriyah Tennis Cup in Saudi Arabia (December 8-10). “It’s a great opportunity to measure myself against the best in the world,” said Thiem.
Maybe there will be a chance for revenge against Medvedev, who is still on the road in Vienna without losing a set. Yesterday, the 26-year-old former world number one advanced to the semifinals with a commanding 6:4, 6:2 win over Jannik Sinner from South Tyrol. Today (2 p.m., ServusTV) there is a duel with the unseeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, who defeated Marcos Giron (USA) 6: 3, 4: 6, 6: 4.
Farewell from Hamburg
The ATP tennis tournament at Hamburg’s Rothenbaum will only be organized next year by Wels entrepreneur Peter-Michael Reichel and daughter Sandra Reichel (tournament director). Their company Matchmaker Sports GmbH has been on board since 2019, and the sports agency Tennium, based in Barcelona, will join in 2024.
Source: Nachrichten
