This Roland Garros starts very strongly. Dominic Thiem, double finalist Porte d’Auteuil in 2018 and 2019, took the door. After an intense fight of almost 4:28 of play, the Austrian lost in five sets against the Spaniard Pablo Andújar (4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 ). Not at best mentally for several months, injured in the right foot at the beginning of the year, Dominic Thiem could not find the solution this Sunday against the 68th player in the world.
“Not in a state of grace”
If tackling the Spaniard in the first round – Roger Federer’s scorer in Geneva a fortnight ago and specialist in the area – was already not a gift, Thiem’s lack of aggressiveness did not help. Author of 61 unforced errors, the Austrian was definitely not on his plate, railing against the gusts of wind from the start of the meeting. Lacking benchmarks and confidence after a season on clay far from his standards (after a semi-final in Madrid, he lost in the 3rd round in Rome and was sharply beaten at the start of Lyon by Cameron Norrie, 6-3, 6-2), the 4th player in the world leaves the Parisian Grand Slam through the back door.
“My motivation is still there. But I was not in a state of grace today, he analyzes leaving the court. All my shots lacked energy. I was not specific enough. My footwork was not good enough. This was the case for my whole game, in terms of statistics, you can see it. I don’t know exactly why. ” Asked Friday about his part of the table «favorable» – understand that he could not meet a member of the top 3 before the final – Dominic Thiem had been clear about his level of play: “Two or three years ago I might have been happy to be in such a situation, but considering what came before this tournament, the way I have played in recent weeks, the only thing I have to focus on, these are the first rounds. “
“I knew I had the level”
But Thiem’s poor form should not erase the remarkable performance of Pablo Andújar. The Spaniard, in a great day, knew how to keep a cool head where more than one would have let go. Led two sets to zero in a see-saw match, Andújar was able to cleverly wait for his opponent’s fault, being aggressive when necessary while distilling beautiful climbs perfectly controlled. Winner of a fiercely contested fifth set, Dominic Thiem having a slight burst of pride, the Spaniard let his joy burst out on a short Philippe-Chatrier conquered by his abnegation.
“I am the first to be surprised ! Ctennis gives me a real gift, he commented. It’s very special for me, I’m 35 years so I don’t know how long I still have to play here. I believed in it until the end. Normally, bumping into Dominic Thiem is a bad draw but I knew he was not at his best and that on my side I was training well. So, after the first two sets, I believed in it because I knew I had the level. “
The Spaniard can still dream: in the second round, he will meet the winner of the match between Moldovan Radu Albot (88th worldwide) and Argentinian Federico Delbonis (52nd worldwide). Two opponents who, if he maintains this level of play, are within his reach.
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