French Open 2022, 1st Round, Sunday, 22.05.2022
Will a Grand Slam and the best-of-five help him to finally win again? For Dominic Thiem, this French Open is something very special, it should help him find his way back to old strength.
Since he has fallen a long way in the rankings, he will naturally start against a player who is clearly above him. Read my Dellien Thiem tip to find out why the odds are balanced almost everywhere.
Dominic Thiem, his coaching team and his fans were all aware that this would not be an easy road. But the fact that the Austrian would remain without a win for so long after his comeback is a bit surprising.
Since he has been back, he has not been able to celebrate a single success, no matter how badly his opponents were ranked. The fighting spirit is right, but in the decisive moments the performances are simply not enough yet.
Many experts are sure: The fact that you need three won sets at a Grand Slam suits Thiem very well. So his recent often close results can finally lead to success in Paris.
A year ago, Thiem was already very battered here, having to cope with elimination in the 1st round. But that doesn’t detract from his great record in the French capital, as he knows exactly how to serve here.
In 2018 and 2019, the Viennese reached the final here, but lost both times to Rafael Nadal. Two other semi-finals reinforce how well the Austrian usually serves on the red clay.
He has never met Hugo Dellien, his current opponent, on the court. The Bolivian is ranked 87th, but that is not enough to be favoured against the world number 194.
Last year he already failed to qualify, only in 2019 and 2020 he automatically slipped into the main draw. Three years ago, he was able to win a set against Stefanos Tsitsipas when he was eliminated in Round 2, but that was not enough.
At the Italian Open, the 28-year-old caused a big surprise when he defeated the high-flyer Holger Rune. Or was the Dane just tired? After all, Dellien was without a chance against Laslo Djere a little later.
Dominic Thiem will not like to hear that he is in a bad mood. In Madrid, it wouldn’t have taken much for him to win against Hubert Hurkacz. While Thiem consistently loses his first rounds, Dellien only fails when his opponents become too strong.
It hasn’t happened since the beginning of April that the Bolivian lost the first match right away. So the prospects are not good for Thiem, to whom this has been happening constantly for months. Sunday will show which series will continue.
My Dellien Thiem Tip
The last few months have not been easy for Dominic Thiem, although his performances have improved, he has simply not wanted to win. In Paris, it wouldn’t be over yet after losing two sets, so that should now help with winning.
He wins sets against the really strong ones and usually grabs the first match. Since Thiem has been getting stronger lately, only the last consistency has been missing, I send the following tip into the race:
We’ll see at least four sets!
