The time is slowly beginning when Dominic Thiem used to take a look at the race, the unofficial annual ranking. In the case of the Lower Austrian, it was always about the top places and the question: is it going for that again this year ATP Final where only the top eight players of the season are allowed to start? (It’s worked out four times so far, by the way.)
For now, he’ll tend to avoid the look. The former number three and official number 112 is only ranked 133 in this race, a ranking with which he no longer has a chance of reaching the ATP final anyway, but also does not slip into the main competition without arduous qualification at an ATP tournament in the world. The mercy of tournament boss wildcards will also soon be exhausted.
home game joy
The 6:4-7:5 win in the Croatian game was all the more important Umag against the Argentine Facundo Bagnis, even if 20 points is not a great blessing in somewhat better-off tennis circles. But at least every victory liberates, that also opens the doors to a duel with the top seeded Czech Use Lehecka. “He played his best season this year, but I’ll try everything to get my chance,” says Thiem, who is looking forward to the second “home game”. “There are many Austrian vacationers here.”
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That won’t impress Lehecka. Incidentally, he belonged to a not so large circle of men who already this year Sebastian Ofner have defeated (1st round, Wimbledon). And the Styrian, Dominic’s father’s Wolfgang Thiem is supervised, would rather study the race than Thiem, where he is in 34th place. If he only plays halfway like this, the top 50 in the official ranking beckon. After the bye at the start, Ofner could today in Umag with a win over Australia Alexei Popyrin take another step.
➤ More on this: Antonitsch on the Thiem crisis: “Stupid reviews are incomprehensible”
2023-07-25 13:14:42
#Crazy #tennis #ace #Thiem #places #Ofner
