Carlos Alcaraz: Shining on the big stage in 2024
Carlos Alcaraz: Shining on the big stage in 2024
Carlos Alcaraz: Shining on the big stage in 2024
Grigor Dimitrov showed no sign of giving up on the fight to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals with a gutsy opening-round win at the Erste Bank Open on Wednesday.
The third seed kick-started his campaign in Vienna with a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 triumph against China’s Zhang Zhizhen. Dimitrov, who was ousted by Tommy Paul in the Stockholm final last week, bounced back from a sluggish start to clinch a clinical one-hour and 37-minute victory upon return to the Austrian capital.
[ATP APP]“The conditions from last week to today are so different. In the end, I just had to somehow find a way, but I have so much experience in moments like that,” said Dimitrov, who improved to 44-16 on the season.
“At the beginning, I was playing alright, but I wasn’t able to hit my spots on the serve very well. In the second set, I almost had too many opportunities, but in the last game, I had a little more authority which helped me to step through and put a little more pressure on him.”
Dimi focus 😤
The 2022 semi-finalist off to a solid start in Vienna#ErsteBankOpen | @ErsteBankOpen | @GrigorDimitrov pic.twitter.com/tUQi0vru30
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 23, 2024
In his pursuit of qualifying for a second appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals (champion, 2017), Dimitrov has momentarily reclaimed 10th place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The 33-year-old trails eight-placed Andrey Rublev by 520 points, who is the top seed in Basel this week.
Dimitrov leads the Tour with indoor hard-court match wins in 2024 (11-5), and could strengthen his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals with strong runs in Vienna and at the Rolex Paris Masters.
After dropping serve in the opening game, Dimitrov sprung to life to convert both of the two break points he created, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to steal the first set. Zhang hung tight and kept within touching distance throughout the second, before eventually creating two more break chances of his own in the 11th game.
However, Dimitrov found two ferocious forehand winners to come through the game unscathed before sealing an ultimately decisive break to clinch victory. Dimitrov will next face Tomas Machac, who surged to a 7-6(5), 6-1 triumph against Fabian Marozsan.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Dominic Thiem competed in an era featuring some of the greatest stars the ATP Tour has ever seen. Yet unlike many of his contemporaries, the Austrian rarely appeared overawed by who was standing on the other side of the net.
Thiem is one of just two players, alongside Andy Murray, to have registered at least five Lexus ATP Head2Head victories against each of the ‘Big Three’. He finished his career with records of 5-2 against Roger Federer, 6-10 against Rafael Nadal, and 5-7 against Novak Djokovic.
So for a player that also reached as high as No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings and lifted 17 tour-level trophies, including at the 2020 US Open, where does his impressive 16-19 overall record against three of tennis’ greatest icons rank in his career achievements?
“[It’s] very high up there. All the matches against the ‘Big Three’, not only the wins but all the matches, because I grew up watching them on TV,” Thiem told ATPTour.com after the final match of his career on Tuesday at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. “I remember the first match I really set my schedule for [to watch] was the 2005 Roland Garros semi-final, Federer against Nadal.
“All of a sudden, I was playing against all those guys. All the matches against them were an amazing experience and I’m very proud that I had so many of them.”
Although Thiem was unable to prolong his career past the first round in Vienna, where he fell to Luciano Darderi in straight sets, the home favourite nonetheless showed flashes of his flamboyant best in his final professional match. A couple of trademark backhand-down-the-line winners in particular had his adoring home supporters on their feet.
“I really wanted to have some of those signature shots today, so I could show them to the fans one last time as a professional player,” reflected Thiem. “It was very important [to me], and I think people liked it. The one-handed backhand is a very nice shot, which unfortunately we see less and less, but there are still luckily some very good players around, like Lorenzo [Musetti], Stefanos [Tsitsipas], Denis [Shapovalov] and others.
“I hope they will keep it going and I really hope I’m not the last Grand Slam champion with a one-handed backhand for too long.”
<img alt=”Dominic Thiem” src=”/-/media/images/news/2022/09/21/19/05/thiem-metz-2022-wednesday-backhand.jpg” style=”width: 100%;” />
So what next for Thiem? The Austrian has plenty of off-court interests to focus on, including his long-held passion for environmental causes. Yet he acknowledged it will take some time for him to achieve complete emotional closure after retiring from the sport he has played for as long as he can remember.
“It’s a mix of emotions right now,” Thiem told Tennis.com’s Matt Fitzgerald. “Of course I’m very sad, because today the whole Austrian crowd showed me all the emotions and all the energy. I will miss that definitely. But there is also some relief, because in the past weeks and months I was also thinking a lot about how this last match and last week of play was going to look like. Now I’m through that, so I’m relieved.
“Then of course I’m still very emotional from all these years of playing tennis. I was almost professional for 25 years, so it’s a very long time, and it’s not going to be gone from one day to another. So, I still need to process everything, but I’m very happy and I hope the fans are as well.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
Britain’s Emma Raducanu pulls out of a fifth tournament in a row, the Hong Kong Open, after spraining ligaments in her foot.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal took to social media Tuesday following Dominic Thiem’s loss at the Erste Bank Open to congratulate the Austrian on his retirement.
“An illustrious career comes to a close,” Federer wrote in an Instagram story. “Congratulations Domi.”
It’s not goodbye. It’s see you later 💙#DankeDomi | @ErsteBankOpen pic.twitter.com/keOAKBtOgJ
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 22, 2024
Thiem won five of his seven Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings against Federer. Their lone championship clash came at the 2019 BNP Paribas Open, where the Austrian claimed his lone ATP Masters 1000 title.
“No matter the surface, you always found a way to beat me with your thunderous backhands,” Federer wrote. “But more importantly, you did it with grace and sportsmanship.”
Nadal, who won their series 10-6 (Thiem earned four clay-court victories) also posted an Instagram Story, sharing the same sentiment as many: “Danke Domi”.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Luciano Darderi had little time for sentiment on Tuesday at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.
The Italian dialled in for a 7-6(6), 6-2 triumph against Dominic Thiem in the final match of the former World No. 3’s career. Darderi kept his cool in a raucous atmosphere at the Wiener Stadthalle, where he edged Thiem in a tight opening set before accelerating to a 91-minute victory.
It’s not goodbye. It’s see you later 💙#DankeDomi | @ErsteBankOpen pic.twitter.com/keOAKBtOgJ
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 22, 2024
The 17-time tour-level champion Thiem produced some trademark moments of brilliance in his final outing as a pro, including a couple of rasping backhand winners that had the home fans on their feet. Yet Darderi, the No. 42 in the PIF ATP Rankings, did not let the occasion get the better of him and was ultimately a deserved winner on his Vienna debut.
After Darderi hammered a forehand to secure his win, he was congratulated at the net by Thiem. The Austrian was then in turn saluted by his home crowd, and he also gave a short on-court speech to thank them for their support.
“I’ve had so many nice goodbyes in the last few months, but today I want to say thank you for all the sensational years,” said Thiem. “I am only a part of this career. The whole journey has been an absolute dream and I want this afternoon, this evening to be yours. I couldn’t have imagined it any better. Thank you!”
Thiem had opened a 4-2 lead early in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Darderi, but the 22-year-old Italian responded superbly and finished the match having converted three of five break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Darderi arrived in Vienna on a seven-match losing streak, but he will now head into his second-round meeting with seventh seed Jack Draper, a 7-6(5), 7-5 winner against Kei Nishikori, full of confidence. The Cordoba champion Darderi, who had earned only one tour-level win prior to 2024, is 24-23 for the season.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
Dominic Thiem’s tennis career ends as the one-time Grand Slam winner loses to Luciano Darderi in the first round of the Vienna Open.
Brazil’s Joao Fonseca enjoyed a taste of the big time at the Nitto ATP Finals last year when he served as a hitting partner at the prestigious year-end event.
The 18-year-old practised with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in Turin, gaining valuable advice and experience. Today, Fonseca is in strong contention to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF after. He has enjoyed a standout 2024 that has included tour-level quarter-finals in Rio de Janeiro and Bucharest.
As part of our Next Gen Influences series, Fonseca caught up with ATPTour.com to talk about his admiration for previous Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champions and other inspirations in his life.
[ATP APP]Which former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion did you enjoy watching most when growing up?
Many good players have won the title and I would say the one that I really like to watch, and I really see in myself is Sinner. I really like his aggressive game. Technically, the way he plays aggressively is really my type.
Mentally, he is a bit more calm. He is a shy guy and I like the way that he competes. [He is] not too expressive so this is more similar to me.
Can you remember your first meeting with Jannik?
It was at the Nitto ATP Finals last year. I was a hitting partner and we hit on the first or second day. He is a really nice guy.
Since the beginning I was looking to go to university. I was committed to [the University of] Virginia and he said to me, ‘Are you going to university?’ He said, ‘You are too good for this, go to [the] pros’. So that was a nice thing. I thought this guy was kidding me and playing a joke. That was the first time I had practised with him and he was really nice, as were his coaches.
Can you talk to me about Brazilian legend Gustavo Kuerten?
My first interaction with Guga was at the Davis Cup at the start of the year. He said some really nice stuff to the whole team. [He shared] his experience, the way he managed his career after so many injuries. It is really inspiring and he is an idol. He is a really nice person and he has said some really nice stuff.
Who have been the other biggest influences in your life?
Of course, my dad, I would say he’s an idol for me. He helped me a lot in the process of my career. I am really thankful for him and mom. My dad is my agent. He does all my stuff.
That’s really nice, for my parents to also work with me, so it’s really nice to have those type of parents with me. They help me. They cheer for me. So I don’t know about a specific story, but that is a thing that both my parents, they helped me with traveling, sponsors.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]He may have retired at the relatively premature age of 31, but Dominic Thiem will nonetheless leave behind a significant legacy after hanging up his racquet.
Nowhere is that clearer than in Vienna, where the home favourite on Tuesday ended his pro career after falling to a first-round defeat against Luciano Darderi at the Erste Bank Open. Thiem, a former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings and 17-time tour-level champion, was roared on by his home fans for one final, emotional effort at his home ATP 500.
“He means a lot,” Thiem fan Petra Höllerl told ATPTour.com when asked what the 2020 US Open champion has done for Austrian tennis. “He was one of the best, and along with Thomas Muster he is our hero. For our kids and for us, so we are a little bit lost now… It was his last match, so we supported him and trusted him. We wish him all the best.”
The fans love Domi and Domi loves the fans 🥰@ErsteBankOpen | #ErsteBankOpen pic.twitter.com/u9va2HXHvM
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 21, 2024
Daniela and her young son Niklas, who were also at the Wiener Stadthalle for Tuesday’s match, also spoke specifically about Thiem’s influence on young people.
“I think he is very important,” explained Daniela. He is an idol, especially for the younger ones. I am from the former generation that loved Thomas Muster, but for my son, his idol is Dominic Thiem.”
Thiem may be retiring as a superstar of Austrian sport, but many of his fans have been following him since he emerged as a talented teenager. They see the same qualities in the 31-year-old as they did all those years ago.
“I’ve seen him play many times because my eldest daughter was a ballkid at the Erste Bank Open from the age of eight,” recalled Petra Gassner. “Now she is 21 and still volunteers here. We followed Thiem on his journey, from when he was 16 until now. He is a very nice and gentle person.
“I liked his character and how he treated other people and engaged with them. It’s a little bit sad that his career is ending now when he is 31, but it goes this way.”
<img alt=”Dominic Thiem Fans” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/10/22/17/10/thiem-vienna-2024-fans-signs.jpg” />
Fans in Vienna came out in force to support Austrian tennis icon Thiem in his final pro event. Photo Credit: e-motion/Sascha Feuster
Thiem had plenty of success on home soil throughout his career. In 2019, he triumphed at both the clay-court ATP 250 in Kitzbühel and in Vienna. The 31-year-old is clear on the role his home supporters played in such successes.
“They always gave me such a nice atmosphere,” Thiem told ATPTour.com. “The Austrian fans were always supporting me so nicely, which was amazing. I always loved to play in front of them.
“What I cannot underestimate is that I think I won quite a lot of matches only with their help. I think there were many close matches which would never have gone my way without the fans in Austria.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]