"He will want revenge" - Dominic Thiem is wary of Jannik Sinner ahead of their Berlin final

World No. 3 Dominic Thiem is set to take on Italian Jannik Sinner in the final of the second stage of the Bett1 Aces tournament. This is an exhibition event taking place in the hangar of the Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, and has produced plenty of high-octane tennis already.

Dominic Thiem and Jannik Sinner faced each other in the ‘grass stage’ of the exhibition tournament last week, where Thiem won 6-3 7-6 (5). But the Austrian is not taking Sinner lightly, and said earlier today that he expects a difficult match.

Another week, another surface, another exhibition event, another final for Dominic Thiem. Gets Berrettini tomorrow. https://t.co/sUL7oAesyc

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) July 14, 2020

With competitive tennis on a break due to the ongoing pandemic, these exhibition tournaments are all that players and fans have right now. Only minimal crowds are being allowed at the Bett1 Aces Tournament, but many are watching the matches on TV or online (Eurosport).

Dominic Thiem has been the most active top player on the men’s tour during this lockdown phase. He took part in the Austria Pro Series, the controversial Adria Tour, the Ultimate Tennis Showdown and his own Thiem’s 7. He was also one of the first players to resume training back in May.

Dominic Thiem: ‘Jannik Sinner is even stronger on hardcourt’

Jannik Sinner will have his task cut out against Dominic Thiem

The final of the second stage of the tournament will be on hardcourt - a surface that both Dominic Thiem and Jannik Sinner prefer over grass. While Thiem is the favorite to win the tournament, Sinner is unlikely to be a pushover; he has recently beaten both Karen Khachanov and Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets.

Dominic Thiem is anticipating a tough fight from Sinner, and even talked about the Italian wanting 'revenge'.

“He will want revenge," Thiem said. "Of course, I will do everything I can to ensure that he does not succeed. However, it will be a difficult match because Jannik is even stronger on hardcourt. I’ll try to give everything to beat him a second time this week.”

Jannik Sinner, currently ranked World No. 73, enjoyed the most success on hardcourts during his ATP Challenger and ITF Futures days. That said, Thiem is a seasoned campaigner in comparison, as he has vast experience on hardcourts at the highest level.

The Austrian reached the final of this year's Australian Open, where he lost in a hard-fought battle to Novak Djokovic. Thiem also won the Indian Wells Masters event last year (on hardcourt) by beating Roger Federer in the final.

Dominic Thiem with his Indian Wells Trophy in 2019

Irrespective of whether he wins or loses, Jannik Sinner has a lot to gain by playing a final against a player of the quality of Dominic Thiem. And he said exactly that ahead of the match:

“I am looking forward to this game, it will be a great highlight for me.”