Thiem, Khachanov Discover St. Petersburg Sights

Dominic Thiem and Karen Khachanov took a tour of St. Petersburg on Tuesday morning, cruising through the canals and out onto the Neva river to see the sights of the city.

“We had a really nice boat ride, in amazing company this morning,” said Thiem, who will play Andrey Rublev or Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round.

The Austrian also explained how he is ready to step up his bid for a third straight qualification at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 11-18 November.

“I have thought about the Race all year long,” said Thiem, who is currently in eighth position in the ATP Race To London. “Of course, I want to make it, as it’s the nicest tournament for players all year. I’d like to be in the Top 8.

“The US Open was great and I flew home with a great feeling, which I didn’t have the past two years. I am in good shape and I’m really looking forward to the tournament, the Asian swing, Vienna then the end of the season.

Meanwhile, Khachanov, who will face former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka in the second round on Wednesday, is happy to be playing in his home country.

“It feels great to be back in St. Petersburg, my home in Russia,” said Khachanov. “It’s nice to play in front of home crowds, even if I do feel extra nerves and pressure. I try to deal with it as motivation. I’m really happy to be at a career-high No. 24 and it shows my hard work has paid off, I’m progressing. We’re focused on the work we have to do.”