Dominic Thiem - Playing on an equal footing, unfortunately not in terms of health
Dominic Thiem was completely convincing until his withdrawal in the match against Ben Shelton . Unfortunately, health didn't cooperate.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Aug 31, 2023, 07:21 am
By Jens Huiber from Flushing Meadows
It's rare on the first few days of the US Open to see long lines of fans forming for an afternoon match at Louis Armstrong Stadium, patiently waiting for a few open seats in the stands. That was exactly the case at the meeting between Ben Shelton and Dominic Thiem on Wednesday, the spectators had gathered to the roof of the second largest stadium in anticipation of the 2020 champion and one of the up-and-coming local heroes.
After a little more than an hour of play, they don't know exactly how they should behave. Sure, the joy of Shelton's advancement was clearly noticeable. On the other hand, tennis fans also develop something like empathy - especially for a player who has been making big sport in New York for more than a decade.
Thiem is taking a break after Kitzbühel
Which, to a certain extent, also applied to Thiem's first round win against Alexander Bublik. But even then, the keen observer has already noticed that Dominic Thiem's health is not in good shape. At least not good enough to keep up with the world's best several times in best-of-five matches. Thiem explained after the win against Bublik that his stomach was offended, which often happens with top athletes. The mood has obviously not decreased significantly in the last two days.
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After reaching the final in Kitzbühel, where a wave of euphoria carried Thiem all the way to the final, the soon-to-be 30-year-old took two weeks away from the tournament. The days at the Generali Open are known to be extremely tiring, and not just on the court. Dominic Thiem is and remains the figurehead for Austrian tennis, and the number of selfie, interview and other requests is probably close to the four-digit limit.
But not for the first time, Thiem arrived in North America not healthy. Which is all the more unfortunate because he played at least on an equal level against both Alexander Bublik and Ben Shelton.
Here is the individual tableau in New York City
nycmap