Complicated but not unsolvable tasks for Thiem and Ofner

Dominic Thiem will need a few more intensive and, above all, strong tennis training sessions in order to be prepared for the Australian Open 2024, which starts on Sunday and is worth 52.95 million euros. The 30-year-old from Lichtenwörth didn’t make the best impression at the start of the invitation tournament “Kooyong Classic” against the Scottish Olympic champion Andy Murray, the bottom line was a painful 4:6, 2:6 defeat against the 36-year-old veteran with a hip Metal.

Thiem’s ​​dress rehearsal for the first Grand Slam event of this year will take place on Friday night against the also long-suffering Italian Matteo Berrettini. The focus will then be 100 percent on Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, seeded number 27 at the Australian Open in Melbourne, who was drawn against the Austrian 2020 US Open champion in the first round. That sounds like a complicated mission, but it is not unsolvable.

Because Auger-Aliassime has seen better days, the 23-year-old doesn’t act consistently enough. At the “trial gallop” in Auckland, he was already eliminated in his opening match in the round of 16 against Daniel Altmaier (D) 6:7 ​​(9), 5:7. The Grand Slam yield in 2023 was also poor: After reaching the round of 16 in Melbourne, the winner of five ATP tournaments (most recently Basel in October 2023) failed in the first round of Paris, Wimbledon and New York.

In the “Big Apple” there was also the only duel with Thiem for world ranking points to date. The Lower Austrian retained the upper hand in the 2020 round of 16 with 7:6 (4), 6:1, 6:1. For a new one?

“I want to develop my game further. Of course I see weaknesses that are shown to me – especially when it comes to returns,” said the world number 94, who did not manage a break against Murray.

If Thiem improves, Daniil Medvedev (Rus/3) could come up to him in the third round.

“Again a small milestone”

Frequent player Sebastian Ofner is initially preparing for an “away match” in Melbourne. The Australian local hero Thanasi Kokkinakis (ATP No. 65) is waiting for the 27-year-old Styrian, who lost the only showdown in the 2019 Australian Open qualifying in two sets. But Ofner is now much stronger and, as number 37, is the favorite on paper.

“I’m now in the top 40, that’s another small milestone in my career. I think that maybe this year – if I can play like that for the entire season – there’s a little more in it,” said Ofner. If he jumps the opening hurdle, he would probably meet Grigor Dimitrow (Bul/13), who was in top form on his way to winning the tournament in Brisbane a week ago.

There won’t be more than one red-white-red duo in the main competition. Sinja Kraus (UTC Fischer Ried) and Filip Misolic failed to qualify.