Any time Dominic Thiem steps on court at the Erste Bank Open, the home crowd raises the volume inside the Wiener Stadthalle. That raucous atmosphere may hit new highs on Tuesday in Vienna, however, when the Austrian favourite takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas in a blockbuster first-round clash at the ATP 500.
“There are some sports where you play home games every second week and everybody's telling you about the advantages, about how much better you play at home,” Thiem told ATPTour.com on Sunday in Vienna. “And it is like that, but as a tennis player, as an Austrian especially, you only have it two or three times a year. I always love it. The crowd gives me unbelievable energy.”
A clash between two former World No. 3s would be a much-anticipated opening round no matter when or where it takes place. The two Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings between Thiem and Tsitsipas that have taken place this year add an extra dimension to their Vienna clash.
The 17-time tour-level champion Thiem, working hard to rediscover his mojo against the world’s best after a serious wrist injury he suffered in mid-2021, pushed Tsitsipas to deciding-set tie-breaks in Madrid and at Wimbledon this year. On each occasion it was the Greek who ultimately prevailed, and Thiem knows the margins could well be fine once again on Tuesday evening in Vienna.
“I guess the only thing which I'm thinking about is that when we're both playing well, the possibilities are high that we have another very close and tight match,” said Thiem, who is 5-5 overall in his rivalry with Tsitsipas. “I hope so because that would mean that we're playing well or that I'm playing well. It would mean a great match for the crowd as well.
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