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Andrey Rublev produced a terrific performance in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Erste Bank Open on Friday to down defending champion Dominic Thiem.
Coming into this match, Thiem was on an 11-match winning streak in Austria that dated back to 2019. However, the home favorite couldn't continue his run as foot blisters coupled with Rublev’s relentless tennis made matters impossible for him.
Speaking to the media after his loss, Dominic Thiem elaborated on the situation with his foot before going on to discuss his plans for the upcoming Paris Masters. The top-ranked Austrian revealed that he has been having physical issues right from his opening round fixture against Vitaliy Sachko.
"I have have had problems since the 1st round,” Thiem said.
The condition seemed to have aggravated against Rublev, as the 27-year-old was visibly struggling to move in the second set.
With the Paris Masters just a couple of days away, Dominic Thiem is having second thoughts about his participation in the tournament. The World No. 3 revealed that he would make his decision by Saturday.
“I'm not sure whether I'll play in Paris or not. I'll decide today or tomorrow,” the Austrian said.
Dominic Thiem believes that indoor conditions increase his susceptibility to blisters. The moisture-laden atmosphere on indoor courts like the ones in Vienna also tends to slow down the healing process, according to the 27-year-old.
Thiem noted that using the right shoes and socks have helped deal with the issue to some extent, but the indoor season as a whole remains a challenge for him.
"The shoes have improved massively over the years and are perfect right now, but the indoor season is still very tough for me,” Thiem continued.
Dominic Thiem is one of the nicest guys on the tour: Andrey Rublev
Despite Dominic Thiem’s unfortunate physical condition, nothing can be taken away from Andrey Rublev's display. The Russian, who is having the best season of his career, played some lights-out tennis on Friday to ensure that the Austrian had no chance of making a comeback.
Rublev won a whopping 90% of his first serve points against Thiem, and didn't concede his serve even once during the match. In fact, he faced only two break points throughout - and that too early in the first set.
The Russian explained in his presser how he came into this tournament with ‘zero expectations', just looking to take it one match at a time.
"I came here with zero expectations, just (wanting) to do my best,” Rublev said. “To try to fight every match. At the end, I am here in the semi-finals.”
Rublev further revealed how he always went into a match against Dominic Thiem with ‘nothing to lose’, before labeling him as ‘one of the nicest’ players on the ATP tour.
"My feeling when going on court against Dominic is that I have nothing to lose," Rublev continued. "He is one of the nicest guys on tour."
