ATP Masters Madrid: Dominic Thiem - time for the next step?
Dominic Thiem has shown increasing form over the past weekend. However, the Austrian still has to wait for a win against an absolute top man. At the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid it could now be time.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit:
Apr 25, 2023, 09:23 am
Without a doubt: After an extremely botched start to the season , Dominic Thiem has found his way back on track in the past few weeks. At the two ATP 250 tournaments in Estoril and Munich, the Austrian failed in the quarterfinals, at the 1000 event in Monte Carlo it was over in round two after a solid performance against the eventual finalist Holger Rune.
The claims are now different than four years ago, when Thiem was one of the absolute top favorites for the title before the start of the 1000 tournament in Madrid. And almost lived up to this claim: At that time, the Lower Austrian lost by a narrow margin against Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, despite playful advantages.
Thiem with good memories of Edmund
Unlike the Serbian industry leader, Thiem will start again in the Spanish capital in 2023. The 29-year-old got off to a good start with Kyle Edmund. The only duel against the Brit so far, to whom Thiem once attested the best forehand on the tour, was clearly won by the Lichtenwörther 2017 in Barcelona 6: 1 and 6: 4.
Should Thiem take his opening hurdle in Madrid, there would be a duel with Stefanos Tsitsipas. For the 29-year-old, it would be the next encounter with an absolute top man after the matches against Fritz (3: 6 and 4: 6 in Munich) and Rune (2: 6 and 4: 6 in Monte Carlo). And the chance to take the next step in the current season.
Tsitsipas is currently in fifth position
On paper, the two-set success against Ben Shelton in the round of 16 at Estoril (number 39 in the world at the time) marks the biggest success of the season so far. Not enough for Thiem's high demands. With Tsitsipas, fifth in the world rankings could now be waiting for the Austrian in Madrid.
In contrast to Shelton, clay courts are Tsitsipas' natural habitat. Tennis fans have known this not only since the Greek reached the final at the French Open in 2021. But Thiem also naturally feels at home on ashes. Two final appearances in Paris are proof enough.
The individual tableau in Madrid
madrid map