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Dominic Thiem is looking forward to the premiere of the ATP Cup in Australia. The fourth in the world rankings starts its tennis season with the new team competition in Sydney. Croatia will be the first opponent of the Austrian team supervised by Thomas Muster on Saturday (from 7.30 a.m.CET / live ServusTV). The tournament in its new format could be influenced by the bush fires raging in Australia.
24 teams are fighting for the title in Sydney, Perth and Brisbane. Only the six group winners and the two best group runners-up move into the quarter-finals, from which only Sydney will play. Each international match is decided in two singles and a double. In addition to Thiem, Austria also includes his close friend Dennis Novak and Sebastian Ofner as well as the double specialists Oliver Marach and Jürgen Melzer.
After the Croatians, the Austrians in Group E still face Argentina and Poland. “We are really excited,” said Thiem at the turn of the year when he arrived in Sydney. After preparing for the season in Miami, the 26-year-old had already spent the Christmas holidays “down under”. The two-time French Open finalist appears to be in form and confidence.
Patterns can also gain something from the new format. “I like the team spirit idea with the ATP Cup. It takes it to a new level, ”said the former world leader who had previously served as Austria’s captain in the Davis Cup. Thiem described the 52-year-old Styrian as a “perfect choice” for the task – not only because he lived in Australia for a longer time, so he knows the country and its people very well. Other supervisors are also prominent. Boris Becker acts as Germany’s captain, for example.
In contrast to the Davis Cup, the new competition is also about world ranking points. “It is a very valuable event,” said Muster. With the exception of Swiss Roger Federer and injured Italian Matteo Berrettini, all top ten players are represented. Spain, for example, is again led by world number one Rafael Nadal just six months after the Davis Cup triumph, while Serbia is led by its first pursuer Novak Djokovic.
The first games will increase on Friday. In Austria’s duel with Croatia, Novak meets Marin Cilic for the first time in his ATP career on Saturday. The 2014 US Open winner is only number two behind Borna Coric, the opening opponent of Thiem (not before 9 a.m.CET). Thiem has won the youngest of four duels with Coric so far. If it is 1: 1 after the individual in the “best of three”, the double with the champions tie-break will decide instead of a possible third sentence.
The ATP Cup also serves as an important form test for the Australian Open from January 20 in Melbourne, where Thiem has never made it past the round of 16. However, like the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, the team competition could suffer from the bushfires that rage across much of Australia. The organizers are particularly concerned about the air in the Sydney metropolitan area, which is contaminated with fine dust and soot particles.
If the air quality is too bad, games should be interrupted and postponed, tournament director Tom Larner explained. Taking the weather situation into account, the company’s own medical experts on the facility should ensure that the health of players, fans and employees is never endangered. The Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, which has been renovated for more than 30 million euros, has recently been given a roof. However, the space between the grandstand and roof structure is not closed.
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