After a stormy Friday with thunderstorms that caused some flight delays at Aeroport Charles de Gaulle and a cool night, the sun is fighting its way through Paris today. For Sebastian Ofner she has been appearing for almost a week. The 26-year-old from Styria fought his way through three qualifying rounds and made it into the main competition of a tennis Grand Slam tournament for the second time in his career.
In 2017, Ofner, also coming out of the qualification, sensationally stormed into the third round of the Wimbledon grass classic. Then Alexander Zverev faced the current world number 218. in the way and made short work of 6: 4, 6: 4, 6: 2 in 95 minutes.
The German “giant” (1.98 meters) will also be Ofner’s opening opponent in Roland Garros on Sunday. The Austrian not only plays against the Olympic champion and number three in the ATP ranking, but also on a big stage.
It is expected that the match will take place in one of the two top stadiums on the Bois de Boulogne in Paris’ 16th arrondissement. These would be the Court Philippe Chatrier, which seats 15,059 spectators, and the Court Suzanne Lenglen (capacity: 10,076 spectators).
Brought in 62,000 euros
“I’ll try to get my best tennis,” said Ofner, who could have been more comfortable with the draw. But tennis is not a request concert. The trip to France has already paid off. The man from Bruck an der Mur will take at least 62,000 euros gross with him.
This is by no means a matter of course after the story of suffering that the ÖTV Daviscupper has behind him. The right-hander, nicknamed “Ofi”, was out for no less than seven months after an operation in October. A heel wedge on his left foot had caused severe pain for the Styrian, who is looked after by Wolfgang Thiem and Stefan Rettl in Paris.
The comeback is promising, but not without complications. This year Ofner won his third Challenger title in Prague, but was then repeatedly caught up by physical problems. Austria’s currently fourth best player in the ATP ranking plays with painkillers.
50:50 chance for Thiem?
Dominic Thiem can do without. His wrist, which was badly damaged in Mallorca on June 22, 2021, no longer causes problems for the 28-year-old from Lichtenwörther, who has slipped to 194th position in the ranking. What is missing are victories. The 2020 US Open champion has been waiting for a sense of achievement on the ATP tour for more than a year.
Maybe it will work out on Sunday in Roland Garros, where Thiem has reached the final twice (2018, 2019) and the semi-finals four times. The French Open is considered his favorite tournament. The bookies expect an open matter in round one.
Thiem is given a 50:50 chance against the Bolivian Hugo Dellien (WRL No. 84). After his first-round out in Geneva, Thiem traveled to Paris with dampened expectations. “I would be very happy if I could win a round or two,” said the former number three in the world before the first encounter with the South American.
Source: Nachrichten
