The Austrian experienced a bitter disappointment and had to give up after his opening match in Paris. His conqueror had caused a stir beforehand.
US Open winner Dominic Thiem surprisingly failed at his opening hurdle at the French Open. The 27-year-old Austrian was defeated by the Spanish veteran Pablo Andujar (35) in a hard-fought match over 4:28 hours 6: 4, 7: 5, 3: 6, 4: 6, 4: 6. Andujar had already beaten Roger Federer (Switzerland) in Geneva and caused a sensation with his semi-finals.
“It’s like Christmas for me,” said Andujar, world number 68, emotionally moved after the game: “Dominic may not have had his very best level.”
For Thiem it is the next setback in an enormously complicated season for him. After his great triumph over Alexander Zverev last September in New York, the world number four fell into a hole from which he had not yet been able to fight his way out.
“I don’t see it as a difficult phase, but as a great learning process and I hope that I can come back stronger than before,” he said before the start of the tournament. Thiem is still waiting for his first title win this year and now has to straighten up again.
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