Dominic Thiem had no chance in the eagerly awaited tennis hit at the start of the year once morest comebacker Rafael Nadal. The Lower Austrian clearly lost to the Spanish veteran on Tuesday in the first round of the ATP 250 tournament in Brisbane 5:7, 1:6. It was the first match for the 22-time major winner Nadal since January 18, 2023, when he suffered a hip injury at the Australian Open.
“Today is an emotional, important day for me, following probably having one of the most difficult years of my tennis career behind me,” said the 37-year-old Nadal in the winner’s interview, in which he also had words for the defeated Thiem. “Dominic has also had tough times, I’m happy to see him on the court. I wish him all the best for the season.” In the direct duel with the Lower Austrian, Nadal made it 10:6.
Clear conditions in the 2nd sentence
Thiem himself was satisfied with the first set, saying it was good and balanced. But the second set brought things clear. “I immediately conceded the early break. When he’s on top, even following such a long time without a match, he runs away from the front. There was nothing more that might be done,” summed up the 30-year-old. It is now important to take the positive things from the first sentence with us.
What will happen next for Thiem is still uncertain. Currently the world number 98 has to be qualified to take part in the Australian Open in Melbourne, where he will be top seed next week. Even a single rejection by a player would mean Thiem slipping into the main field. “If I play in the main competition, then I still have a few days of training where I want to further develop my game and improve the weaknesses that were shown to me today,” explained Thiem.
Worth seeing rallies, no nakedness
At the start of the match in the north-east of Australia, both players showed no weakness in their own serves and offered the spectators in the north-east of Australia some rallies that were worth seeing. The returnee Nadal hardly noticed the long absence from the tour, the already well-rehearsed qualifier Thiem held up strongly. At the decisive moment of the first set, however, Nadal was there. When the score was 6:5, the Spaniard found his first break chances, and he used the fourth one following just under an hour to win the set.
Round two began just as Nadal liked. An early break gave the Spaniard, who was equipped with a wildcard, a 3-0 lead, another 5-1 lead to the preliminary decision. After 1:29 hours, Nadal used his first match point. However, Thiem was no longer able to match the largely good performance in the first set.
“I missed it”
“I missed being healthy, I missed feeling competitive and playing in front of such full crowds,” Nadal said. The Spaniard had already announced that 2024 would likely be his last season. The first highlight will be the Australian Open in Melbourne. The clay court specialist’s big goal is the French Open in Paris, which he has already won 14 times, and then the Olympics, also in the French capital.
