Dominic Thiem spends the week in front of the Erste Bank Open 500 in a familiar environment – namely in Günter Bresnik’s tennis academy.He is satisfied with the impressions of his protégé.
Some gangs never break down, especially in the tennis circus, where top players run into each other almost weekly.The successful attempt to survive the Ice Bucket Challenge is a special combination.Dominic Thiem did this in the presence of Ernest’s gulbis a few years ago in an exemplary way.The Latvian rider, who is only ranked 203 in the world ranking, had better times.Gulbis tries in vain to catch up with Juan Martin del Potro, but in Wimbledon it was enough to win against Juan Martin del Potro and to a good performance in round three against Novak Djokovic.
After that, there was not much to come for the 29-year-old from Riga, his last defeat against Kenny De Schepper at the Challenger in Orleans.
Gulbis went back to where he is a regular guest anyway, namely Günter Bresnik’s tennis academy.The same person who coached him into the top ten as Dominic Thiem, who has been training in Südstadt since Monday.Also with gulbis.
It is still too early to explore the speed of the surface and balls in the Vienna Stadthalle for special focal points facing the Erste Bank Open, Bresnik explains.I think Dominic is not so bad at the moment,”Bresnik told tennisnet.
Thiem is looking forward to his home appearance, and last year he had already booked a quarter of a million US dollars on the credit side before the tournament started: with the win of the “Tie Break Tens”.Thiem’s performance in the main event was not quite so good, after an effortless opening victory against Gerald Melzer, he lost out to Viktor Troicki, against whom Thiem lost his third match in Shanghai a few days ago.
The tournament in Vienna has become even more attractive thanks to the late commitment of Grigor Dimitrov, and the Bulgarian player represents a hurdle, which Thiem has broken in Brisbane this year and jumped over in Madrid with great hardship.Dimitrov, however, could only be threatened in the semi-finals, at the very end Alexander Zverev.
To prepare oneself specifically for these two all-rounders is a thing of the impossibility, Dominic Thiem has let it sound after his return from Shanghai with a loose unit against two academy players.On Thursday, the big bank sponsor will make an appointment for a test run of the Stadthalle.Possibly with Ernest’s gulbis.