Tennis News

Vienna victory!: A flashback to Thiem's 2019 'dream week' at home

Nostalgic feelings often arise from memories of home, drawing us back to cherished moments — some that feel like yesterday and others that seem like a lifetime ago. For Dominic Thiem, such fond recollections in his home country Austria are woven throughout his standout 13-year career.

The 31-year-old will bid farewell to professional tennis this week at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, where he won his first tour-level match as a teenager and later lifted the trophy in front of his home fans in 2019. It has been a key tournament filled with unforgettable moments for Thiem.

Prior to Thiem’s title run, he had not surpassed the quarter-finals at the ATP 500, but he arrived in Vienna in 2019 having already won four ATP Tour crowns for the year including his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Indian Wells. If his excellent form had created any extra pressure to perform in front of his home fans, the top seed handled it flawlessly.

Thiem eased past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in his opening match and then recovered after dropping the opening set to Fernando Verdasco in the second round, before Pablo Carreno Busta retired when 0-5 down to give the Austrian a semi-final spot. From there Thiem fought off two Top 15 stars in the semi-finals and final, respectively, rallying from a set down in both matches to eventually be crowned champion.

He overcame Matteo Berrettini 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the last four, avenging his Shanghai loss to the Italian from just two weeks earlier.

“The match was on a very high level from the first to the last point,” Thiem. “With all the support and home advantage, I was able to pull through.”

Then, a nervous night of sleep. One match would determine if Thiem would claim the biggest tennis tournament on Austrian soil. He shook off a slow start to earn a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory against Diego Schwartzman, with whom he had teamed earlier that year to reach the Madrid and Buenos Aires doubles finals.

On championship point, the buzz throughout the stadium could be heard mid-rally. Thiem struck a fierce forehand that put Schwartzman on defence and the crowd already began to celebrate the all-but-guaranteed victory.

When Thiem hammered a forehand winner to close the match, he fell on his back in relief, while his adoring fans rose to their feet in unison.

<img alt=”Dominic Thiem celebrates his 2019 Vienna triumph.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/09/27/19/50/thiem-vienna-2019-celebration.jpg” />

_{^{Thiem celebrates his 2019 Vienna triumph. Photo Credit: Hans Punz/APA/AFP via Getty Images}}

“I wanted to play my best tennis for this amazing crowd,” said Thiem, the third Austrian to win Vienna (Horst Skoff in 1988, Jurgen Melzer in 2009-10). “It’s unreal to me. Three times this week I came back from a set down… It’s been a dream week.”

The Austrian recorded five tour-level titles in 2019 alone, including two at home (he also triumphed in Kitzbühel). Thiem, whose Indian Wells triumph that year would prove to be his lone Masters 1000 crown, and Novak Djokovic were the only players to win five trophies that season.

Triumphing in Vienna was a full-circle moment for Thiem. As an 18-year-old in 2011 then-ranked World No. 1,890 in the PIF ATP Rankings, he earned his maiden tour-level win in Vienna against countryman Thomas Muster, the only Austrian to reach World No. 1. It was the genesis of a distinguished career for Thiem, who has claimed 17 tour-level trophies, including the 2020 US Open.

Highly regarded as having one of the best one-handed backhands in the history of the sport, the five-time Nitto ATP Finals qualifier Thiem has amassed more than 300 tour-level match wins. Celebrating the five-year anniversary of his Vienna victory this week, Thiem won’t soon forget that career highlight as he heads into retirement.

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Felix on fire! How Auger-Aliassime went back to back in Basel

Felix Auger-Aliassime, who has won the past two editions of the Swiss Indoors Basel, will this year try to become just the second player in tournament history to win the ATP 500 trophy three times in a row after Roger Federer (2006-08 and 2017-19).

The Swiss event is a happy hunting ground for Auger-Aliassime, who has won two of his five ATP Tour titles there. Ahead of the 2024 edition of the indoor hard-court tournament, ATP Tour.com reflects on his title runs in 2022 and 2023.

2022: Flying Felix hits a late-season hat-trick
Enjoying the best season of his career, Auger-Aliassime arrived at the 2022 Swiss Indoors Basel full of confidence from his back-to-back title runs in Florence and Antwerp. He dropped only one set en route to the trophy at each of those indoor ATP 250 tournaments.

The Canadian then pulled off a similarly dominant run at ATP 500 level in Basel, where he dropped his only set of the tournament in his opening-round match against Marc-Andrea Huesler. After next easing past Miomir Kecmanovic and Alexander Bublik, Auger-Aliassime set a semi-final showdown with Carlos Alcaraz.

Continuing his red-hot form, Auger-Aliassime lost only five games to the then-World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, who had just won his first major title at the US Open. It was his third consecutive Lexus ATP Head2Head victory against Alcaraz.

In the final, Auger-Aliassime toppled another in-form rival in Holger Rune, who had lifted an ATP 250 trophy in Stockholm the previous week. Yet the Canadian did not flinch en route to a 6-3, 7-5 triumph that earned him his third-consecutive trophy and the joint-biggest title of his career.

“It’s been an amazing week,” said Auger-Aliassime after the match. “Once again in the final, not getting broken all week… [It’s been] a long year, a long stretch of wins, and it’s not over. So hopefully I can keep going, but right now I’m feeling all the good emotions that come with winning a tournament. It’s amazing.”

It was Auger-Aliassime’s 13th consecutive tour-level win, a streak that he extended to 16 with a semi-final run at the Rolex Paris Masters. His late-season surge helped him qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time in his career, and he later capped off his stellar 2022 season by leading Canada to its maiden Davis Cup title.

<img alt=”Felix Auger-Aliassime” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2022/10/30/16/40/auger-aliassime-basel-2022-sunday-emotion.jpg” />

_{^{Auger-Aliassime celebrates after defeating Holger Rune to claim the 2022 title in Basel. Photo Credit: Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images}}

2023: Back on form in Basel
Auger-Aliassime arrived in Basel in 2023 hoping to shake off a disappointing season plagued by injuries and struggles for his best form. He entered the tournament with a 17-18 win-loss record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, and just one semi-final showing for the season (Doha).

Yet once again the Canadian found his form in Switzerland. Dialled in all week, he dropped only one set, against Alexander Shevchenko in the quarter-finals. In a rematch of the previous year’s final, Auger-Aliassime defeated Rune in the semi-finals, and he then downed Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(3), 7-6(5) in the championship match to successfully defend his Basel title.

With the win, Auger-Aliassime clinched his fifth tour-level title and became the first Canadian to successfully defend an ATP Tour crown since Milos Raonic won the San Jose title in 2011 and 2012.

“I’m definitely back. I let my racquet talk. That’s always been the motto of my career. I’ve had the conviction that I can be a top player since I’m a kid, but there were many doubts this year about my performances and why,” Auger-Aliassime said in his on-court interview. “I’m happy that I was able to prove to everybody that I still belong among the best players in the world, that I can play this level. I never doubted it, but it’s good to confirm it on the court.”

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah Update: Mensik stars in Shanghai, Tien makes move

Jakub Mensik continued to impress on the ATP Tour at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where he advanced to the quarter-finals at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time.

The big-hitting 19-year-old Czech fired past Top 10 stars Andrey Rublev and Grigor Dimitrov and also earned victories against Pedro Martinez and Alexander Shevchenko at the hard-court event. Mensik then took the first set against Novak Djokovic before falling in three.

Mensik’s result at the ATP Masters 1000 event consolidated his fourth-placed position (995 points) in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. The Doha finalist is aiming to make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, to be held from 18-22 December.

Alongside his matchday success, Mensik practised in the pouring rain in Shanghai. Watch the video below of the teen hitting with countryman and former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF finalist Jiri Lehecka.

PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah

Fifth-placed Luca Van Assche (458 points) and sixth-placed Learner Tien (427 points) gave their chances of playing in Jeddah a major boost with impressive results on the ATP Challenger Tour. Frenchman Van Assche defeated Cameron Norrie en route to the semi-finals in Roanne, while American Tien dispatched Bernard Tomic 6-0, 6-1 in the Fairfield final. Tien has won 14 of his past 16 matches on the ATP Challenger Tour.

Second-placed Alex Michelsen (1,145 points) and third-placed Shang Juncheng (1,075 points) both earned first-round wins in Shanghai. American Michelsen beat Buyunchaokete, while Chinese lefty Shang overcame Coleman Wong. Wong is eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah and competes at the ATP 250 in Almaty this week.

American Nishesh Basavareddy has jumped to 10th after two strong weeks on the Challenger Tour. The 19-year-old reached the final in Charleston before he won his maiden title at that level in Tiburon earlier this month.

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Djokovic increases Turin chances, Mover of Week

The eighth ATP Masters 1000 event of the season led to Jannik Sinner lifting the trophy at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. While the Italian grabbed the headlines, the battle to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals intensified.

Record seven-time champion Novak Djokovic boosted his hopes by reaching the final and Taylor Fritz consolidated his position in the Live Race after advancing to the last four. ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as of Monday, 14 October.

Novak Djokovic – Sixth (3,910 points)
The Serbian climbed three spots to sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin after he reached the title match in Shanghai. The 37-year-old dropped just one set en route to his record-extending 59th ATP Masters 1000 final and first in 2024. However, Djokovic was unable to overcome Sinner, who captured his seventh crown of the year.

Having arrived in Shanghai outside the qualification cut, Djokovic leaves China with a 17th appearance at the prestigious year-end event in sight.

View PIF ATP Live Race To Turin

Daniil Medvedev – Fourth (4,820 ponts)
Medvedev moved to the brink of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals following a quarter-final run in Shanghai. The 28-year-old earned wins against Thiago Seyboth Wild, Matteo Arnaldi and Stefanos Tsitsipas before Sinner stopped him in the last eight. Medvedev, who leads Tsitsipas 10-4 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, lifted the trophy at the year-end event in 2020.

Taylor Fritz – Fifth (4,290 points)
The 26-year-old consolidated his fifth-placed position in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin after becoming just the second American semi-finalist in Shanghai tournament history (Sebastian Korda 2023). Fritz, who is 49-20 on the season, is chasing a second appearance in Turin, having reached the last four on debut in 2022.

Grigor Dimitrov – 10th (2,935 points)
Dimitrov kept alive his slim hopes of competing in Turin by outperforming seventh-placed Casper Ruud (3,805 points) and eighth-placed Andrey Rublev (3,580 points) in Shanghai. Dimitrov battled to the fourth round but lost to #NextGenATP Czech Jakub Mensik, who also beat Rublev and went on to win a set against Djokovic.

Dimitrov will chase precious points this week at the ATP 250 in Stockholm, where he competes with Andrey Rublev. Ruud and ninth-placed Alex de Minaur (3,305 points) take to court at the ATP 250 in Antwerp. De Minaur has been sidelined since the US Open due to injury.

Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz have already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, scheduled to take place from 10-17 November.

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What happens next in Sinner doping case?

News that Jannik Sinner, the men’s world number one, had failed two doping tests stunned tennis. While initially exonerated, his case is still rumbling on.

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Kyrgios wants Grand Slam title to 'shut up' doubters

Australian Nick Kyrgios says he wants to “shut up” those who doubt him and win a Grand Slam title on his return to the sport.

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Players’ association calls for legal aid fund for suspected dopers

As Jannik Sinner wonders whether he could still be banned for failing two doping tests, a players’ association is asking the Grand Slams and two main tours to pay for a legal defence fund for athletes.

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What is the tennis schedule in Almaty, Antwerp & Stockholm?

This week’s three ATP 250 events — the Almaty Open, the Europen Open in Antwerp and the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm — begin on Monday.  

Scroll below to see who will be in action, including Matteo Berrettini, Borna Coric and Richard Gasquet.

ORDER OF PLAY – MONDAY, 14 OCTOBER 2024

ALMATY

Centre Court – start 10 a.m.
Qualifying Final – [4] Aslan Karatsev vs [5] Alejandro Moro Canas (ESP)
Qualifying Final – [2] Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) vs [8] Alibek Kachmazov

Not Before 2:30 p.m.
[WC] Justin Engel (GER) vs Coleman Wong (HKG)
Damir Dzumhur (BIH) vs Maximilian Marterer (GER)

Not Before 7 p.m.
[7] Fabian Marozsan (HUN) vs Borna Coric (CRO)

Court 1 – start 10 a.m.
Qualifying Final – [1] Yunchaokete Bu (CHN) vs [6] Daniel Evans (GBR)
Qualifying Final – [3] Yasutaka Uchiyama (JPN) vs Benjamin Hassan (LBN)

Not Before 2:30 PM
Jakob Schnaitter (GER) / Mark Wallner (GER) vs [3] Yuki Bhambri (IND) / Albano Olivetti (FRA)
Marco Bortolotti (ITA) / Patrik Niklas-Salminen (FIN) vs Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli (IND) / Arjun Kadhe (IND)
[WC] Alexander Shevchenko (KAZ) / Timofey Skatov (KAZ) vs Evan King (USA) / Reese Stalder (USA)

ANTWERP

Centre Court – start 11 a.m.
Qualifying Final – [2] Thiago Seyboth Wild (BRA) or [WC] Emilien Demanet (BEL) vs [6] Mark Lajal (EST)
Qualifying Final – [4] Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) or [WC] Gilles Arnaud Bailly (BEL) vs Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO)

Not Before 15:30
Thiago Monteiro (BRA) vs [7] Mariano Navone (ARG)
[WC] Richard Gasquet (FRA) vs [6] Tomas Martin Etcheverry (ARG)
[WC] Raphael Collignon (BEL) vs Marton Fucsovics (HUN)

Court 1 – start 11 a.m.
Qualifying Final – Alexey Vatutin vs [8] Manuel Guinard (FRA)

Not Before 12:30
Qualifying Final – [3] Luca Van Assche (FRA) or Jelle Sels (NED) vs Alex Marti Pujolras (ESP) or [7] Filip Cristian Jianu (ROU)

Not Before 14:00
Dominik Koepfer (GER) vs Roberto Carballes Baena (ESP)
Alexander Erler (AUT) / Lucas Miedler (AUT) vs Constantin Frantzen (GER) / Hendrik Jebens (GER)

STOCKHOLM

Centre Court – start 1 p.m.
Aleksandar Kovacevic (USA) vs Dominic Stricker (SUI)
[Q] Marc-Andrea Huesler (SUI) vs Lorenzo Sonego (ITA)

Not Before 5 p.m.
[7] Tallon Griekspoor (NED) vs Pavel Kotov
[8] Luciano Darderi (ITA) vs Matteo Berrettini (ITA)

Court 1 – start 2 p.m.
[WC] Leo Borg (SWE) / Adam Heinonen (SWE) vs Gonzalo Escobar (ECU) / Diego Hidalgo (ECU)
Petr Nouza (CZE) / Patrik Rikl (CZE) vs [4] Julian Cash (GBR) / Lloyd Glasspool (GBR)

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Sinner dominated this critical area against Djokovic in Shanghai…

The start of the point was not the problem for Novak Djokovic. It was the end.

Jannik Sinner defeated Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-3 in the final of the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Sunday by winning just five more points (65-60) overall than the Serbian. In a match that showcased parity all over the stats sheet, the Italian dominated one critical area — the ability to finish points off with winners.

Winners: Sinner
– Aces = 9
– Forehand = 6
– Backhand = 4
– Volleys = 4
– Total = 23

Winners: Djokovic
– Aces = 4
– Forehand = 4
– Backhand = 1
– Volleys = 3
– Total = 12

Your 2024 Men’s Singles Champion in Shanghai 🏆@janniksin | @SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/hASdvUH1GS

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 13, 2024

Sinner clubbed 23 winners to Djokovic’s 12. There was no other match stat where such a gap between the two players existed. Both committed 23 unforced errors for the match. Both put 82 per cent of their backhands in play. Djokovic actually put slightly more forehands in the court (86% to 84%) and hit them harder (81 mph to 79 mph) on average throughout the final.

But when it came time to finish off the good work building the point, it was Sinner who proved to be twice as good as Djokovic. When isolating baseline points, Sinner collected 10 winners to just five for Djokovic. The Serbian won the battle of longer rallies of nine shots or longer by eight points to six. It proved inconsequential to the final outcome in Shanghai. When Sinner needed to end the point, his movement, shot selection and court position proved superior to the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

One micro-battle that highlighted the strategic advantage Sinner enjoyed in the match can be seen with the first shot hit after the serve, commonly known as Serve +1.

Total Serve +1 Forehands
– Sinner = 62% (28/45)
– Djokovic = 42% (15/36)

Sinner Serve +1 Groundstrokes Won
– Forehand = 61% (17/28)
– Backhand = 53% (9/17)

Djokovic Serve +1 Groundstrokes Won
– Forehand = 53% (8/15)
– Backhand = 52% (11/21)

Sinner dominated with Serve +1 forehands in this match, hitting this shot 62 per cent of the time. Djokovic struggled mightily to find his Serve +1 forehand, only hitting it 42 per cent of the time. Sinner won 61 per cent of his Serve +1 forehand points, while Djokovic was only at 53 per cent. This had a negative flow-on effect for the rest of the point for the Serbian. Too many Serve +1 backhands equals too much baseline parity in Djokovic’s service games. That makes it increasingly more challenging for the Serbian to manufacture winners at the end of the point.

Djokovic also turned his attention to the front of the court to apply pressure to Sinner, but this turned out to be one of the rare matches in which Djokovic was not able to build a winning margin at the net. He only won 45% (5/11) points coming forward, while Sinner collected a tidy five of six points won.

It is almost 12 months since Djokovic won his last ATP Tour title at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin last November. At 37 years of age, the recent Paris Olympics gold medalist Djokovic is fast approaching the twilight of his career. This match identifies where his younger opponents will forge an advantage against him.

It’s not in building the point. It’s in finishing it.

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Sinner on special Shanghai moment: 'I'm going to enjoy this'

Jannik Sinner has established himself as a powerhouse on the ATP Tour in 2024, marking his authority at the highest level.

In a display that underpinned his standout season, Sinner muscled his way past Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-3 in Sunday’s championship match at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. In claiming his Tour-leading seventh title of 2024, the World No. 1 claimed a personal best 65th win of the season, shining a light on the improvements he has made to his game.

“I changed some things. I feel like physically I’m ready to play for a longer amount of time at the highest level possible,” said Sinner, who improved to 8-2 on the season vs. Top-5 players on hard courts. “Mentally I’m ready to accept every tough situation on the court, and I think that’s the biggest step I have made forward.

“I’m just trying to stay as calm as possible and to keep working hard. It doesn’t really matter if you have a good week or a bad week, I’m just trying to improve daily, to be mature enough to understand what’s working, and I feel like that for me made a big impact this year, and hopefully it’s going to help me also for next year.”

The last selfie of the week, now with a trophy in hand 🏆🙂‍↕️@janniksin | @SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/s3djDV78Fb

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 13, 2024

Sinner, who secured ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours after Saturday’s semi-final win against Tomas Machac, held his nerve to improve to 24-8 in tie-breaks in 2024 after sealing the opening set. From there, the Italian clicked into gear to become the youngest Shanghai champion after one hour and 37 minutes.

“I’m going to enjoy this,” added Sinner, who became the first player to win three ATP Masters 1000 titles in one season since Rafael Nadal in 2018. “It is a very special moment, winning any tournament is amazing, but especially this one here, so we’re going to enjoy it, for sure, but nothing crazy.”

Djokovic was bidding to become just the third man to win 100 tour-level titles (Connors, Federer), but came unstuck against the bruising ballstriking of the World No. 1. With his third consecutive victory against Djokovic, Sinner levelled the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 4-4.

Sinner, who became the first player to win more than six ATP Tour titles in one season since Andy Murray won nine in 2016, credits the nature of his working environment to his prolonged success on the court in 2024.

“I will keep working hard, me and my team. I have these two new members in my team where I feel like I can learn many things,” said Sinner, who started working with physio Ulises Badio and fitness trainer Marco Panichi last month. “With Simone [Vagnozzi] and Darren [Cahill], it’s a great combination of coaches and the all-around team, it helps me a lot, it’s very comfortable to stay with them.

“I always feel like it’s part of the family already, so it’s nice. We will keep working hard. We’re going to try out some new things off the court, just to see what’s going to help me or not. I feel like the work there will never stop, so I’m looking forward to that.”

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