Dominic Thiem has never played against Russian-born Kukushkin, who plays for Kazakhstan. The 33-year-old is currently in 90th place in the ATP world rankings.

Round 2: Hugo Dellien or Dominik Koepfer

The Bolivian Dellien and Dominik Koepfer are still blank slates for Thiem. Dellien is currently number 112 in the world, while Koepfer, who reached the fourth round of the 2019 US Open, is 68th.

Round 3: Ugo Humbert… or Nick Kyrgios?

Humbert was one of last year's climbers. And would be the next premiere opponent for Thiem. Nick Kyrgios couldn't necessarily convince when he returned to the ATP tour, but who knows? With the audience behind them, the local hero is always a danger. The only encounter so far was in 2015 in Nice. Back then, Kyrgios had to give up in the first sentence.

Round of 16: Grigor Dimitrov, Pablo Carreno Busta, ...

From here, at the latest, it becomes even more speculative, but: Thiem could live very well with Carreno Busta. The Austrian has won all seven matches so far. Against Dimitrov, Thiem is 2: 3 behind in the eternal balance. However, it would be the first meeting at a Grand Slam tournament.

Quarterfinals: Diego Schwartzman, FAA, Denis Shapovalov ...

In the round of the last eight you never get anything for free. Schwartzman would probably take Thiem anyway, even if the Argentine got the upper hand at exactly this stage in Roland Garros. Or maybe one of the two Canadians? Félix Auger-Aliassime had to give in to Thiem at the US Open. Thiem has won all three previous matches against Denis Shapovalov.

Semi-finals: Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, ...

Maybe a reissue of the 2020 final? Or the next chapter in Thiem's so successful sequel story against Alexander Zverev?

Final: Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas ...

Well ... what do you know about Nadal's back? About Medvedev's form? About the momentum that the Greek fans give Stefanos Tsitsipas? Or maybe even Matteo Berrettini can bite through?