The opening opponent of the former number three in the world is Frenchman Richard Gasquet. The balance between the 29-year-old from Lower Austria and his seven-year-old opponent is 2: 2, Thiem won the last two duels. He is looked after in the principality by the German-Iranian Benjamin Ebrahimzadeh.
It is not publicly known what ultimately tipped the scales for the separation from Massu. Thiem gave his ex-coach only roses the day after the decision became known. “All the successes with him were sensational, but not only the sporting time, but also the private time and the relationship that developed personally were absolutely sensational,” he said in Monaco. But he was in the mood for change.
“It was the right thing to do back then. When I started with him I was 25, now I’ll be 30 soon. Of course I want to change my game again, start another attack on higher ranking positions. That is the goal,” explained Thiem. “I also think that in sport in general it’s completely normal to make a change every now and then, that I can steer things in the right, good direction again. I hope so now.”
Gasquet next gauge
The fact is that Thiem has been struggling in sport for some time, and the two wins in a row in Portugal last week have not changed that. As a result of his wrist injury, the Lower Austrian’s forehand, which used to be so powerful, has lost energy and reliability. Thiem’s record in 2023 is three wins and seven defeats on the ATP tour, including the Davis Cup there are even nine defeats.
In the current world rankings, the 29-year-old is 111th, in the new ranking on Monday he will improve slightly. Gasquet, 36, is 42nd in comparison. So the task will not be easy. “He’s in really good shape again, won Auckland and played very well this year,” said Thiem about his upcoming opponent. If he takes the hurdle, a top ten player would be waiting in the second round with the Dane Holger Rune.
Cooperation with former coach from Kerber
At his side in Monte Carlo for the time being is 43-year-old Ebrahimzadeh, who is no stranger to the industry. Years ago he trained the German Angelique Kerber, after which he worked with star coach Patrick Mouratoglou. Ebrahimzadeh also accompanied the French Alize Cornet on the WTA tour and worked as an expert on TV broadcasts.
The physiotherapist Matthias Kapl, who is doing his probationary period in Team Thiem on the Mediterranean coast, is also new. “The first impressions were good, now you have to see if it fits this week and then works for several weeks,” said Moritz Thiem, Dominic Thiem’s younger brother and manager.
ATP 1000 tournament in Monte Carlo
(Monaco, 6.228.295 Euro, Sand)
