Tim looks forward to the ‘positive energy of the fans’

A day before the start of the main competition of the Erste Bank Open, Dominic Thiem answered questions from local media representatives at a press conference in the Wiener Stadthalle. The Lower Austrian was optimistic about his 13th appearance at Austria’s biggest tennis tournament.

Before Thiem answered questions regarding his first-round duel with Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 30-year-old provided for the first time an update on his health: “It’s been a long-term story with the stomach. After the US Open, I wasn’t able to do any “Something for two weeks before I can start training again. But now I’m fine again.” Tim remains confused about the cause of his problems: “All I know is it wasn’t bacteria. Maybe it got into bad water or food somewhere. I like spicy food, and I probably ate too much of it.”

Ahead of his match with Tsitsipas, currently ranked seventh in the world rankings, Thiem seemed relaxed: “He’s definitely the favourite, but if I perform on the court, I’ll definitely have a chance. The last two duels were very close and were only decided in a set tiebreak.” “The latter. Especially in the hall, the decision is often made on only a few points.” The support of the home crowd will be important in this regard: “In the first few years here, it might have held me back a little bit. Now that’s not the case anymore, especially since I won the championship in 2019. I’m looking forward to the positive energy from the fans, which is very helpful for me.

When asked about his goals for the rest of the year, Thiem naturally mentioned a consistent qualification for the main tournament of the Australian Open in Melbourne. Depending on the performance at the Erste Bank Open, Thiem next plans to participate in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Paris and the 250 event in Metz.