Thiem in full flight in Madrid win over Giron
If you thought Dominic Thiem would be rusty in his first match in nearly two months, you thought wrong.
The Austrian star was in full flight on Tuesday evening when he defeated American qualifier Marcos Giron 6-1 6-3 to reach the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open.
The third seed is off to a good start at the Caja Mágica, where he made the final in 2017 and 2018.
“I was uncertain how things would go.
“The game worked out well in the past days of practice, but I was always practising on the outside courts which are faster, and smaller, so I was just not sure how it was going to be in the match,” Thiem said.
“But there were some things which I think made [the match] a little bit easier after such a long time, especially the conditions in Madrid, which are great for me.
“Then [I have] amazing memories on this court, where I already played probably some of the best matches of my career.
“I think that ’ s why things worked out quite well tonight.”
Thiem had not competed since March 16, when he lost against SA’s Lloyd Harris in his opening match in Dubai.
But the 27-year-old looked refreshed in the Spanish capital, playing an aggressive, but tidy match to triumph inside Stadium Manolo Santana after 58 minutes.
“For my game, I need 100% intensity and 100% energy.
“I’m not the guy who can serve through a match or who can play with a little bit of intensity and still win.
“I’m just not that type of guy,” Thiem said.
“I need 100% in every aspect of my game.
“I was just not able to put that on court in Doha, Dubai, or towards the end of the Australian Open, so that’s why it was better to take a break.
“[It was] better to come back when it’s possible again to play with that 100% in every aspect of my game.”
Giron is a physical baseliner who had already played two matches lasting more than three hours in Madrid this year, defeating Thiago Monteiro in the first round of qualifying and Pablo Andujar in the first round of the main draw on Monday.
But the American couldn’t find the energy to match Thiem’s greater physicality.