Dominic Thiem Casts Doubts Over Rolex Paris Masters Participation After Vienna Open Defeat

After a hard defeat in the quarterfinals in Vienna, Austria’s Dominic Thiem is now indecisive about his next venture. However, the reason behind this is said to be not mental rather physical.

In the third round of the Erste Bank Open, the hometown star challenged the Russian Andrey Rublev for a semi-final spot. It was a competition between World No. 3 and a four ATP titles winner of 2020, respectively. Their contest in the first set was gruesome as they provided equally strong answers to the imposed questions by the other. They stretched their initial set into a tie-breaker, and eventually, World No. 8 emerged with the spoils.

It was then, during the break between the sets, that the defending champion of Vienna was caught struggling with his feet. He had removed his shoes and presented a distressed posture. Later the problem came to be known as blisters on the US Open 2020 champion’s feet.

Are blisters a new thing for Dominic Thiem?

Blisters are a very common problem in tennis since its inception. It is a result of the stress and the strain which the body endures but the game demands. This is no different for the 17 time ATP title winner Dominic Thiem.

He confirmed that in the post-match conference, he said, “I actually have it all year round, especially indoors. I already had it last year in Vienna in the semi-finals and in the final – and also in London. We have improved it, but it is still difficult.”

The quarterfinals of the Vienna Open hosted two extremely talented tennis players – Thiem and Rublev. Even though the match favored the 23-year-old Russian, the quality of their tennis remained unblemished. If the blisters were not present, the contest might have gone deep into the third set. The final score of their match was 7-6 (7-5), 6-2. Catch the big moments here:

After the match, the Austrian wasn’t shy on commending his Russian opponent, he added, “He (Rublev) has improved his serve a lot. You are on the defensive almost the whole time against him.”

However, considering that blisters are a recurring concern for him, it might affect his call for the Paris Masters this year.

Will Thiem set his foot in the 2020 Rolex Paris Masters?

The 27-year-old Austrian is the second seed in the Paris Masters this year behind top seed Rafael Nadal. The tournament is due on the thirty-first of this month.

Dominic Thiem, after obtaining blisters in the last game, was unsure about his participation at the tournament. Although, he has asked for more time to take a final call on the same. The Austrian said, “Tonight or tomorrow I will think about what to do with Paris. If I were fit, I would definitely be playing in Paris. However, it makes little sense if I’m not pain-free.”

Dominic concluded, “Paris is in serious danger. I tend to pull out. London shouldn’t be a problem.” In case the Austrian professional withdraws from the Paris Masters 1000, it will be yet another let down for the fans. It was already disheartening enough that Paris will be held behind closed doors this year.

The Rolex Paris Masters 2020 is on the brink of starting, and Dominic Thiem’s final call will be out anytime soon. Do you see the Austrian competing in the main draw? Or will he opt to rest and recover for the ATP World Tour Finals?

Also Read: “I’ve Done What I Came Here For” – Novak Djokovic Not Bothered With His Shabby Loss in Vienna