Australian Open: The Story of Dominic Thiem and Andrey Rublev
Dominic Thiem has to face Andrey Rublev in round one of the Australian Open (live on ServusTV, Eurosport and in our ticker). In view of the recent encounters between the two, this is not good news for the Austrian.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Jan 13, 2023, 07:43 am
Dominic Thiem set out for Spain last summer. Thiem wasn't quite satisfied with his return to the ATP tour, and because Andrey Rublev only had a few days, the two gave each other a few training sessions that made even uninvolved spectators sweat. Because Rublev is known to only know full throttle. And Dominic Thiem was happy to keep up with this pace.
So now the two are meeting in round one of the Australian Open 2023 (live on ServusTV, Eurosport and in our ticker). Neither Thiem nor Rublev will be happy about it. Because the Russian messed up both appearances in Adelaide: in the first tournament against Roberto Bautista Agut, in the second against Thanasi Kokkinakis. No reason to panic just yet. But Rublev, who tends to need many matches to reach his best form, will not have liked the end at the start of the season.
Dominic Thiem, on the other hand, played a competitive match this season. And lost that one to Soonwoo Kwon in Adelaide 1 qualifier.
Rublev undefeated against Thiem since 2018
So is the starting position for the first round meeting in Melbourne at least somewhat balanced? Well: probably not. Because Andrey Rublev is number five in the first major of the year. Dominic Thiem, on the other hand, had to rely on a wildcard from the organizer to even get a place in the 128 grid.
In addition, there is the balance between the two: Thiem won the first encounter in 2017 in the Wiener Stadthalle fairly smoothly, the second in Monte-Carlo 2018 not so smoothly. Since then, Thiem and Rublev have met four times in an ATP match - and the Russian has won all games. And that without losing a sentence. Incidentally, the last showdown took place a few months ago in Gijon, when Rublev won 6: 4 and 6: 4.
On the other hand: It can be assumed that Dominic Thiem will be in top form in this first match in a major against Andrey Rublev. And that could perhaps benefit the 2020 US Open champion over the long haul.
Here are the previous games between Andrey Rublev and Dominic Thiem
| tournament/year | winner | Result |
| Gijon 2022 (Indoor/Hard) | Rublev | 6:4, 6:4 |
| ATP Finals 2020 (Indoor/Hard Court) | Rublev | 6:2, 7:5 |
| Vienna 2020 (indoor/hard court) | Rublev | 7:6 (5), 6:2 |
| Hamburg 2019 (Clay) | Rublev | 7:6 (3), 7:6 (5) |
| Monte Carlos 2018 (Clay) | Thiem | 5:7, 7:5, 7:5 |
| Vienna 2017 (indoor/hard court) | Thiem | 6:4, 6:3 |
Here is the men's individual tableau
laver arena