Anyone who is only 99th in the tennis world rankings and relies on a wild card at the first Grand Slam event of the year, the Australian Open in Melbourne, must expect the worst in the draw. Andrej Rublew is anything but a wish concert for Dominic Thiem, the finalist of 2020. On the contrary: In the last four duels with the number six in the world, the 29-year-old from Lichtenwörther did not win a set against his colleague, whom he very much from several joint training sessions knows well.
The two are linked by something of a friendship, Thiem even broke a lance for Rublew & Co. after the Russian protagonists were excluded from participating in the major tournament in Wimbledon because of the Ukraine war.
Thiem will need a performance similar to that at the Kooyong Classic (invitation tournament in Melbourne) against Frances Tiafoe (7: 6, 6: 2) to at least annoy Rublew. The Lower Austrian is currently a bit fickle on the road, light and shadow alternate. “I’ve played a few matches now, they’re the best training. You learn so much when you’re in a competition – especially in the mental area,” said Thiem: “As a tennis player, you can win in one day and lose again the next time. You have to stay strong and persevere.”
Austria’s number one has been waiting for almost two years to win a Grand Slam event – not least because of the serious wrist injury he suffered in June 2021. On February 12, 2021, the 17-times ATP tournament winner defeated Nick Kyrgios (Aus) in the 3rd round of the Australian Open 4: 6, 4: 6, 6: 3, 6: 4, 6: 4, since then there has been a “zero”. This was followed by the silent round of 16 defeat against Grigor Dimitrow (Bul), two first-round defeats at the French Open in Roland Garros in 2021 and 2022 and an opening defeat at the US Open 2022 against Pablo Carreno Busta (Esp). It’s high time the tide turned again.
Julia Grabher is world number 83. a fixed place in the main draw of the Australian Open, the Vorarlberg native will have to deal with the Estonian Anett Kontaveit, who is in 17th place, for the first time in her career in the first round. The roles are clearly divided, but Grabher still doesn’t think about sticking his head in the sand. “If I’m confident and can play my game, everything’s fine,” emphasized the 26-year-old. By the way, the hoped-for red-white-red growth from the qualification did not materialize: Sebastian Ofner failed at the last hurdle, the Styrian lost to Laurent Lokoli (Fra) 3: 6, 6: 7 (5).
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Source: Nachrichten
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
