US Open: Dominic Thiem has the right idea against Steve Johnson

Dominic Thiem got off to a good start in the US Open 2018. Steve Johnson is an opponent who has come to New York in good form.

By Jens Huiber from New York City

Steve Johnson, there’s no doubt about it, is entirely American. On his way to the dressing room he makes an appointment with a colleague on Friday – not for another training session, but for a fantasy draft for next season’s National Football League. Dominic Thiem is already more European, he cares about football, especially English football.

Johnson and Thiem will cross the blades on Wednesday, for the fourth time. The starting position is somewhat ambiguous: Johnson is virtually at home, reaching the final in Winston Salem last week. Thiem, on the other hand, feels at home at the US Open, although he did not reach the final this summer.

Johnson left a little more strength at the beginning, Denis Istomin defended himself more bravely than Mirza Basic against Thiem. His upcoming opponent is an outstanding athlete, said the Austrian after his opening victory at the Grandstand. But just one without a particularly competent backhand. It was clear how to play anyway, said Thiem, who went to practice on Tuesday of the afternoon heat. And didn’t want to rule out a follow-up visit to buddy Dennis Novak. Thiem had already congratulated him on his 25th birthday.

When it comes to serve, the ninth-placed Lichtenwörther can hardly improve anything: Of the 46 successful first serves, 41 ended with Thiem winning the points. However, you always have to work on the return. Upon request, Dominic Thiem declared Rafael Nadal as the inspiration for the position far behind the baseline. On ashes, though.

Thiem won two titles there in 2018: one in Buenos Aires, one in Lyon. Johnson hit sand too, in Houston. And then on grass in Newport. Thiem leads the match with 2:1 victories, on Grand Slam level the two met in Paris in 2017. In special circumstances, a few weeks earlier, Johnson’s father had died unexpectedly.

If the conditions suit you, it’s not that easy to judge: For Thiem the places in 2018 will be exactly the same as last year, for Mischa Zverev a bit faster. Quite a few players, in turn, attest a certain inertia to the courts. The latter would probably be better suited to Dominic Thiem.

Here are the matches between Dominic Thiem and Steve Johnson

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