Dominic Thiem lost with his partner Juan Martin del Potro in the first round of the double tournament. Against Pablo Cuevas and Marcel Granollers, they lost 3:6, 6:7(8).
On the packed Court 3 in the Caja Magica Thiem and Del Potro competed primarily to play a match before their first singles match. Both enjoy a walk-through in the first round.
“It was a lot of fun,” Thiem said after the game. “We played quite well, from that point of view it was a good preparation for the singles.”
In addition to their strong opponents, Thiem and Del Potro were the first to play a double together. At one time or another, both players approached a ball, so you had to fear for their rackets.
The two of them, who recently faced each other at the US Open, always took it with humour and enjoyed the great atmosphere in front of around 2,500 spectators.
Thiem saw the test as successful. “I’ve trained a lot anyway, but I tried to play well and win the match,” he said.
In the singles, Thiem was drawn into a quarter with Nadal, another duel like in the quarter-finals of Monte Carlo could be imminent. “It’s not the best draw, of course,” Thiem said, “but you have to look at the first round and not too far into the grid.”
Thiems opponent in the second round is determined in the match between Mischa Zverev and Federico Delbonis. However, he cannot see the game of the two, as he has to go to the doping control. For Thiem, however, this is not a problem: “I know the players well enough, I don’t have to look at them again.