Tennis – Thiem faces a great challenge at the Erste Bank...

Above all, the extremely strong line-up with a total of seven top ten players, especially Novak Djokovic, makes it very difficult for Thiem. “Seven top ten players, cut-off under 30, from which almost every round is a final”, Thiem said on Thursday on the occasion of the opening of his new training home base in Traiskirchen. “In the first round I can play against top 15 players and if you want to go far against other top 15 players. In terms of value, that’s like a Masters.”

The competitor tournament in Basel, which was canceled prematurely due to the coronavirus pandemic, like an ATP 500 tournament in Vienna, will not attract the top ten players to Switzerland this time. The big catch, however, is that, unlike last year, Thiem will not have a sold out hall behind them.

“Last year was sheer madness. I think that every match was sold out. I can mainly remember the semifinals and finals. I never played before and after that when the mood was better,” recalls Thiem. His fans would have liked to celebrate the Lichtenwörther, who is playing for the first time as the Grand Slam winner in Austria, but the pandemic creates an absurd situation: Vienna will have the best-attended tournament since the start of the event in 1974, but in front of as few spectators as never before.

With Novak Djokovic, an absolute superstar is coming to Vienna for the third time for the first time in 13 years: out in the round of 16 in 2006, tournament winner in 2007. The dream final would also be a repetition of the final of this year’s Australian Open. Djokovic had defeated Dominic Thiem in five sets after a 1: 2 set deficit.

It is clear to him that defending the title will be particularly difficult for Thiem, mainly because of the strong field and also after the rigors of the two Grand Slam tournaments almost immediately after one another. He doesn’t seem to be expecting to be able to defend his “most valuable title after the US Open” straight away. “I hope I can do it again sometime.”

Thiem is still hoping for good training days until his first appearance on Tuesday (“Thiemstag”). The 27-year-old Lower Austrian has been in the safety “bubble” since Friday. That means staying only in the hotel, the complex and protected areas and this time no “home sleeper”. “It will be a little different than in the last few years, but it’s still the home tournament and I have incredible memories.”