Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas inspired the fans in Wörschach on Monday. Austria’s number one also spoke to the press on this occasion.
Dominic Thiem was very impressed: The reception for the Austrian number one at the final of the Adidas Club Challenge in Styrian Wörschach was like a folk festival, the show match against Stefanos Tsitsipas became a minor matter of sport. Also because the two world-class players competed with several local junior players in doubles.
Tsitsipas soon made his way back to Kufstein, where his brother is currently participating in a youth tournament. For Thiem, the afternoon with set point (Tsitsipas won 6-4) was far from over. Interviews with TV stations, pictures with and autographs for the fans, it was worth coming for everyone.
At the end of the long day, Thiem finally took a little time for former ski jumper Wolfgang Loitzl – and for representatives of the print and Internet media. And so Dominic Thiem spoke…
… about the event in Wörschach:
It was a sensational thing to be raised here. Bringing more people to such an event than the town has inhabitants is madness. The whole action was great – and SU Wörschach really deserved to win with this video. That was a real masterpiece. I had a lot of fun, but more important of course: I hope that the two of us made people happy.
… about his current fitness level:
I just came back from vacation yesterday, so I did something again today for the first time and will start training tomorrow. I did an MRI before the vacation because of my back, the results were very reassuring. It was just a strain, and it was quickly gone. Tomorrow to Sunday I will train fully and travel to Hamburg.
… about the tasks ahead:
I’m playing for Mannheim in the German Tennis Bundesliga on Sunday because it’s great on the way to Hamburg and because it fits very well into my program. I haven’t played a match in a long time. Mannheim is my club in Germany, I played there four years ago. And I’m playing either Millman or Fabbiano, so it’s like a normal ATP tournament. There is no better preparation for Hamburg.
… about his goals at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel:
The final against Goffin at that time was a great match, but of course it hurts that I haven’t won the tournament yet. I really want to get it once in my career. And I think that the chance is quite good this year, because I play Hamburg, because I am fit, because I will have a good preparation for sand.
… about the English national football team’s performance at the World Cup:
I don’t think they’re at the optimum of their development. From this point of view, reaching the semi-final is already unbelievable. I think they will be really hot in Qatar and I will support them completely in winter…
… about Novak Djokovic’s Wimbleodn victory:
This has not come as a surprise to real tennis insiders. If you now see that he lost to Taro Daniel in Indian Wells, then he played better and better afterwards. I won against him in Monte Carlo when he was already stronger. He should have made it to the semi-finals at the French Open. And in Wimbledon he made it through to the final, the real final was against Nadal anyway. But Djokovic is such a good player, it was clear that he would come back.