Apr 21, 2020 | 2020, Dominic Thiem, Kei Nishikori, Madrid, Tournament News
With three days to go until the draw for the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro, the organisers have confirmed that Dominic Thiem and Kei Nishikori will also participate in the innovative tournament.
The best tennis players in the world will face off with one another virtually from their homes from 27-30 April. The biggest ATP and WTA stars will swap their racquets for a PlayStation 4 to clash in a Manolo Santana Stadium that has been recreated in exquisite detail in the Tennis World Tour video game (Nacon Gaming).
Thiem, a two-time Mutua Madrid Open finalist (2017 and 2018), is currently the No. 3 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The Austrian, who started 2020 by reaching the final of the Australian Open, will clash against some of his biggest rivals in the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro, including Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev.
“I’m looking very much forward to the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro tournament,” said Thiem. “Of course this won’t be the same to play virtual compared to the real one, but it’s a great initiative and I’m very excited about it, still. It’s my first time ever to play an event like this. Again, I’m really looking forward to my first match! It’s going to be great.”
Nishikori, a 12-time ATP Tour titlist, has accepted the challenge of the new tournament, thus contributing to the competition’s main cause.
“Excited to help the Madrid tournament with this unique experience,” said Nishikori. “We are all hoping to be back on court soon, but as we are all staying safe inside for now… this will hopefully provide fans with some much needed positive entertainment.”
They will both have the chance to help the tennis players most in need at this time, to help those without income get and those affected by the virus get through these months of inactivity in the pioneering online charity competition.
The tournament will include a purse of €150,000 in both draws (ATP and WTA), from which the winners will be able to decide on how much they donate to the tennis players currently suffering economically, and €50,000 that will all go towards reducing the social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The format for the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro will be as follows: 16 singles players in each of the two draws (ATP and WTA) initially divided into four groups. The champion of each group will progress to the quarter-finals, which will also include the runner-up of each group. From there, the tournament will be played as a knock-out. In addition, in parallel with the official competition, there will be a series of benefit matches that will see some of the biggest content creators in the gaming world take on the professional tennis players to raise funds to help those affected by COVID-19.
All fans will be able to follow the tournament online, on television and on the Mutua Madrid Open’s social media, with a spectacular production that will include commentary on all the matches, analysis and highlights programmes and interviews with the winners after each match.
The other previously announced ATP Tour stars competing are Nadal, Zverev, Andy Murray, Gael Monfils, David Goffin, Fabio Fognini, Diego Schwartzman, Karen Khachanov, John Isner, Lucas Pouille, David Ferrer and Frances Tiafoe. The WTA field will consist of Karolina Pliskova, Elina Svitolina, Bianca Andreescu Belinda Bencic, Kiki Bertens, Angelique Kerber, Madison Keys, Kristina Mladenovic, Carla Suárez, Victoria Azarenka, Johanna Konta, Fiona Ferro, Eugenie Bouchard and Sorana Cirstea. The organisers of the Mutua Madrid Open will soon reveal the remaining participants, as well as other news of the competition.
Apr 21, 2020 | 2020, Dominic Thiem, Kei Nishikori, Madrid, Tournament News
With three days to go until the draw for the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro, the organisers have confirmed that Dominic Thiem and Kei Nishikori will also participate in the innovative tournament.
The best tennis players in the world will face off with one another virtually from their homes from 27-30 April. The biggest ATP and WTA stars will swap their racquets for a PlayStation 4 to clash in a Manolo Santana Stadium that has been recreated in exquisite detail in the Tennis World Tour video game (Nacon Gaming).
Thiem, a two-time Mutua Madrid Open finalist (2017 and 2018), is currently the No. 3 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The Austrian, who started 2020 by reaching the final of the Australian Open, will clash against some of his biggest rivals in the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro, including Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev.
“I’m looking very much forward to the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro tournament,” said Thiem. “Of course this won’t be the same to play virtual compared to the real one, but it’s a great initiative and I’m very excited about it, still. It’s my first time ever to play an event like this. Again, I’m really looking forward to my first match! It’s going to be great.”
Nishikori, a 12-time ATP Tour titlist, has accepted the challenge of the new tournament, thus contributing to the competition’s main cause.
“Excited to help the Madrid tournament with this unique experience,” said Nishikori. “We are all hoping to be back on court soon, but as we are all staying safe inside for now… this will hopefully provide fans with some much needed positive entertainment.”
They will both have the chance to help the tennis players most in need at this time, to help those without income get and those affected by the virus get through these months of inactivity in the pioneering online charity competition.
The tournament will include a purse of €150,000 in both draws (ATP and WTA), from which the winners will be able to decide on how much they donate to the tennis players currently suffering economically, and €50,000 that will all go towards reducing the social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The format for the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro will be as follows: 16 singles players in each of the two draws (ATP and WTA) initially divided into four groups. The champion of each group will progress to the quarter-finals, which will also include the runner-up of each group. From there, the tournament will be played as a knock-out. In addition, in parallel with the official competition, there will be a series of benefit matches that will see some of the biggest content creators in the gaming world take on the professional tennis players to raise funds to help those affected by COVID-19.
All fans will be able to follow the tournament online, on television and on the Mutua Madrid Open’s social media, with a spectacular production that will include commentary on all the matches, analysis and highlights programmes and interviews with the winners after each match.
The other previously announced ATP Tour stars competing are Nadal, Zverev, Andy Murray, Gael Monfils, David Goffin, Fabio Fognini, Diego Schwartzman, Karen Khachanov, John Isner, Lucas Pouille, David Ferrer and Frances Tiafoe. The WTA field will consist of Karolina Pliskova, Elina Svitolina, Bianca Andreescu Belinda Bencic, Kiki Bertens, Angelique Kerber, Madison Keys, Kristina Mladenovic, Carla Suárez, Victoria Azarenka, Johanna Konta, Fiona Ferro, Eugenie Bouchard and Sorana Cirstea. The organisers of the Mutua Madrid Open will soon reveal the remaining participants, as well as other news of the competition.
Apr 20, 2020 | Alexander Zverev, Barcelona, Dominic Thiem, Off Court News
Editor’s Note: ATPTour.com is resurfacing features to bring fans closer to their favourite players during the current suspension in tournament play. This story was originally published on 21 April 2019.
Before they hit the tennis courts at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem hit the football field on Sunday to meet the players of FC Barcelona.
The second and third seeds at the ATP 500 event, respectively, toured the grounds of the Ciutat Esportiva. Gerard Pique and other team members promised to return the favour and visit the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona 1899 to catch the ATP Tour action this week.
“I think everyone who comes from Germany has to be a soccer fan,” joked Zverev. “[Meeting] some of the players was very exciting. This is one of the best clubs in the world, so to see how they function and see the practice grounds was amazing.”
Thiem was among the players who attended Saturday’s league game between FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad. They also had the chance to meet the club’s president, Josep Maria Bartomeu.
“I love football and I just met some of the best players in the world. They’re all really nice,” said Thiem. “It was good to experience the practice grounds and the game yesterday, so it couldn’t be better for a football fan like me.”
Zverev will start his week against Nicolas Jarry of Chile or Marcel Granollers of Spain, while Thiem begins his Barcelona campaign against Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan or Diego Schwartzman of Argentina.
Apr 20, 2020 | Alexander Zverev, Barcelona, Dominic Thiem, Off Court News
Editor’s Note: ATPTour.com is resurfacing features to bring fans closer to their favourite players during the current suspension in tournament play. This story was originally published on 21 April 2019.
Before they hit the tennis courts at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem hit the football field on Sunday to meet the players of FC Barcelona.
The second and third seeds at the ATP 500 event, respectively, toured the grounds of the Ciutat Esportiva. Gerard Pique and other team members promised to return the favour and visit the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona 1899 to catch the ATP Tour action this week.
“I think everyone who comes from Germany has to be a soccer fan,” joked Zverev. “[Meeting] some of the players was very exciting. This is one of the best clubs in the world, so to see how they function and see the practice grounds was amazing.”
Thiem was among the players who attended Saturday’s league game between FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad. They also had the chance to meet the club’s president, Josep Maria Bartomeu.
“I love football and I just met some of the best players in the world. They’re all really nice,” said Thiem. “It was good to experience the practice grounds and the game yesterday, so it couldn’t be better for a football fan like me.”
Zverev will start his week against Nicolas Jarry of Chile or Marcel Granollers of Spain, while Thiem begins his Barcelona campaign against Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan or Diego Schwartzman of Argentina.
May 30, 2019 | 2019, Dominic Thiem, Match Report, Roland Garros
Dominic Thiem will do well to remember his 50th match win at a Grand Slam championship on Thursday, when he showcased battling qualities for a place in the Roland Garros third round.
Last year’s runner-up recovered from 2-5 down in the fourth set against the charismatic Kazakhstani Alexander Bublik for a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-5 victory over two hours and 30 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the main show court.
“Today was very difficult,” said Thiem. “It was a tough match-up for me because there were almost no rallies… He gave me no rhythm at all. He did it very well, actually… I was playing really bad once I got into the rally, which made it even more difficult. Somehow the fire never got there. It was four close sets, only two hours 30, almost a fifth.”
Thiem is now 20-5 at the clay-court Grand Slam championship, where he finished runner-up to 11-time titlist Rafael Nadal in the 2018 final — the first Austrian player to compete in a major final since Thomas Muster lifted the 1995 trophy.
View Infosys MatchBeats Of Thiem’s Win
In an encounter of mixed fortunes, fourth seed Thiem was on a receiving end of an underarm serve from Bublik at 1-4, 30/30 in the first set and then came back from 1-4 down in the second set, but missed a set point at 6/5 in the tie-break.
When asked about the underarm serve, Thiem said, “To be honest, it’s a good choice against players who are that far behind the baseline. There is nothing bad about it. And I was prepared for that, so that was no problem. For me it was tough because I had difficulties to find a good return position. And the two breaks I made, I think he got a little bit tight at the end of second set and the end of fourth set.”
Having regained the momentum, Thiem became a spectator as the inventive Bublik took a 5-2 lead in the fourth set. But the Austrian began to dig his way out of danger from 15/40 (two sets points for Bublik) in the eighth game. From that point, Thiem won 21 of the next 27 points to fight another day.
The 25-year-old won 83 per cent of his first-service points and committed just 15 unforced errors for a third-round test against Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas, who was leading Kyle Edmund 7-6(3), 6-3, 2-1 when the No. 28 seed from Great Britain retired due to a left knee injury.
World No. 91 Bublik, who has predominantly competed on the ATP Challenger Tour, was making his debut at Roland Garros this week. He is 3-2 in tour-level matches in 2019.
Later in the day, Croatian No. 13 seed Borna Coric knocked out South African Lloyd Harris 6-2, 6-3, 7-6(2) in two hours and five minutes. Coric first held match points at 5-4 in the third set, with Harris serving at 15/40.
He’ll now challenge Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, who advanced to the third round of a Grand Slam championship for the third time (also 2018 Wimbledon and US Open) following a 7-6(2), 7-6(3), 6-7(4), 6-2 victory over Radu Albot of Moldova in three hours and 14 minutes. Struff hits 15 aces among 61 winners and lost just 14 of his first-service points (65/79).
May 30, 2019 | 2019, Dominic Thiem, Match Report, Roland Garros
Dominic Thiem will do well to remember his 50th match win at a Grand Slam championship on Thursday, when he showcased battling qualities for a place in the Roland Garros third round.
Last year’s runner-up recovered from 2-5 down in the fourth set against the charismatic Kazakhstani Alexander Bublik for a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-5 victory over two hours and 30 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the main show court.
“Today was very difficult,” said Thiem. “It was a tough match-up for me because there were almost no rallies… He gave me no rhythm at all. He did it very well, actually… I was playing really bad once I got into the rally, which made it even more difficult. Somehow the fire never got there. It was four close sets, only two hours 30, almost a fifth.”
Thiem is now 20-5 at the clay-court Grand Slam championship, where he finished runner-up to 11-time titlist Rafael Nadal in the 2018 final — the first Austrian player to compete in a major final since Thomas Muster lifted the 1995 trophy.
View Infosys MatchBeats Of Thiem’s Win
In an encounter of mixed fortunes, fourth seed Thiem was on a receiving end of an underarm serve from Bublik at 1-4, 30/30 in the first set and then came back from 1-4 down in the second set, but missed a set point at 6/5 in the tie-break.
When asked about the underarm serve, Thiem said, “To be honest, it’s a good choice against players who are that far behind the baseline. There is nothing bad about it. And I was prepared for that, so that was no problem. For me it was tough because I had difficulties to find a good return position. And the two breaks I made, I think he got a little bit tight at the end of second set and the end of fourth set.”
Having regained the momentum, Thiem became a spectator as the inventive Bublik took a 5-2 lead in the fourth set. But the Austrian began to dig his way out of danger from 15/40 (two sets points for Bublik) in the eighth game. From that point, Thiem won 21 of the next 27 points to fight another day.
The 25-year-old won 83 per cent of his first-service points and committed just 15 unforced errors for a third-round test against Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas, who was leading Kyle Edmund 7-6(3), 6-3, 2-1 when the No. 28 seed from Great Britain retired due to a left knee injury.
World No. 91 Bublik, who has predominantly competed on the ATP Challenger Tour, was making his debut at Roland Garros this week. He is 3-2 in tour-level matches in 2019.
Later in the day, Croatian No. 13 seed Borna Coric knocked out South African Lloyd Harris 6-2, 6-3, 7-6(2) in two hours and five minutes. Coric first held match points at 5-4 in the third set, with Harris serving at 15/40.
He’ll now challenge Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, who advanced to the third round of a Grand Slam championship for the third time (also 2018 Wimbledon and US Open) following a 7-6(2), 7-6(3), 6-7(4), 6-2 victory over Radu Albot of Moldova in three hours and 14 minutes. Struff hits 15 aces among 61 winners and lost just 14 of his first-service points (65/79).
