After the damper at the home tournament in Kitzbühel, it’s time to go overseas. After all, the US Open is well disposed towards the ex-champion.
Kitzbuehel. Actually, everything was arranged: the draw was good, the upward trend with the quarter-finals and semi-finals in Baastad and Gstaad was clear and an enthusiastic home crowd behind them. But Dominic Thiem’s dream of a fairy tale comeback in Kitzbühel burst in the quarterfinals. The 2020 US Open winner is not yet where he is, where his fans want him to be. The next chapter on the way back: the hard court season from mid-August in the USA.
“I’m looking forward to playing hard again. The conditions in Gstaad and here were also difficult. The warmer it is, the more the balls knock off at higher altitudes,” said Thiem in Kitzbuehel. Nevertheless, he can look back with some satisfaction on his most recent clay court tournaments, the series of quarterfinals, semifinals, quarterfinals was okay.
Now it’s time to use the remaining time until departure for Ohio. Fitness and then another training block are on Thiem’s plan before his US tour starts in Cincinnati on August 14th. Winston-Salem follows the week after and then the US Open from August 29th. Thiem received a wild card for the latter two tournaments. An absolute rarity, especially for the major event in New York. “It’s crazy for me,” said the 28-year-old, who can now use his protected ranking for another tournament after the injury break. And reward for his 2020 performance as he celebrated his biggest triumph yet at Flushing Meadows.
No more bonuses in the fall
After things didn’t go as well as hoped in Kitzbühel, Thiem will be around 170th in the world rankings on Monday. Of his nine opportunities to take part in tournaments with the “Protected Ranking” at the time of his injury (number six in the world), he has so far used up five. For Cincinnati he needs the sixth, he can redeem the remaining three up to and including October 24th. At this point in time, the Vienna Stadthallen tournament is waiting, which, however, has also reserved a wild card for the local hero.
After Vienna, however, there is no longer a bonus. Then only Thiem’s current ranking counts. On sand and in Kitzbühel he would have liked to have taken the pressure off the rankings. Now the hopes are on the US hard courts.