ATP: Dominic Thiem before duel against Rafael Nadal: The dream of overthrowing the King of Clay

With two bumpy victories at the ATP Masters 1000 in Madrid, Dominic Thiem has won a long-awaited duel with the sand court king Rafael Nadal (Friday, not before 5 pm in the LIVETICKER). What seems impossible given the Spaniard’s dominance on the red ashes should succeed in the fast conditions at the height of Madrid.

“Actually, I was already out of the tournament,” said Thiem on Thursday evening in the Madrid Caja Magica. He addressed the situation from his match against Borna Coric in the second set when he gave up his 4-5 serve to the Croatian for the match. But like in his second round game against Federico Delbonis, Thiem gained momentum at the decisive moment.

“In the tight moments I played my best tennis,” said Thiem, who knows: “I could have lost well and gladly. This victory is worth a lot.”

In the end, it was the two-time French Open semi-finalist who left the field after two hours and 25 minutes. In contrast to last year, when he played against Coric on the biggest place of the course, this year he was successful in the tranquil Estadio 3. “A center court full to the brim is now waiting for me anyway,” Thiem said with a smile.

There he will meet Nadal on Friday, who set a new record by beating Diego Schwartzman. The 31-year-old won all of his last 50 sets on clay, more than any player on any surface in front of him. Previously, John McEnroe had won 49 sets in series on carpet in the 1980s.

Hitting Nadal on the sand is “one of the most difficult challenges of sport,” said Thiem. “He won’t give you any air to breathe from the first moment. If you want to keep up with him, you have to do the same and get really hot right from the start.”

An ability that Thiem could not show in his two appearances in Madrid so far. While against Delbonis in the first set he recalled just two to three percent of his performance, as the world’s current number seven claims, things were only marginally better against Coric.

Therefore a good start into the ninth match against Nadal is immensely important. “If you can’t do that, what happened to me in Monte Carlo will happen to you, he will cut you down,” Thiem describes his next task in a martial way.

But above all the conditions in Madrid should help the 24-year-old to inflict another defeat on the beloved sand after almost a year. “If conditions are faster and the ball bounces higher, it will be a little easier for the other players,” Thiem explained, adding reverently: “if you can even say so.”

Many experts believe that the Austrian of all people can succeed in overthrowing the king of the sand courts. Not least because it was Thiem who added Nadal to his last defeat in Rome in May 2017. “At that time I was able to play 100 percent the way you have to play to beat him,” recalled the number five on the seed list. “This was one of the best matches of my career.”

If he wants to make the impossible possible again, he must call up exactly such a performance again. “I have to play very aggressively without making many mistakes. It doesn’t look like I can win.”

Thiem had already won a set against Nadal on Friday when they were cheered on by hundreds of enthusiastic children in a unit on Center Court. “These are two different pairs of shoes,” Thiem did not want to overestimate the set win.

In Monte Carlo he also managed to take a set from Nadal in practice. “Then I got pretty bogged down,” Thiem said. “Still, it’s good to see: You’re in.”

Nadal himself, despite his intangible dominance on sand, is cautious before the duel with Thiem. “The most dangerous opponent is the one you meet the next day,” Nadal phrased after his triumph over Diego Schwartzman.

Tomorrow I’ll meet one of the best players in the world, one who has many opportunities to be successful. This will be a key match for the tournament. I have to step on it tomorrow. I think I’m ready for it, but I have to put it on the court tomorrow.”

Packed in one place with 12,500 subjects who expect a big show, but least of all a fall of their beloved sand court king.