Dominic Thiem and girlfriend Lili Paul-Roncalli makes rare public appearance together
Dominic Thiem made an appearance with his girlfriend Lili Paul-Roncalli at the BMW Open Players' night in Munich on Tuesday, April 18.
Thiem advanced to the second round of the tournament after his opening-round opponent Constant Lestienne retired from the contest. The Austrian won the first set and was leading in the second set when a calf injury forced the Frenchman to retire.
Thiem's girlfriend and performing artist Lili Paul-Roncalli was seen cheering the former World No. 3 from his player's box. Later in the evening, as per an article in oe24, the beaming couple were seen arm-in-arm posing for pictures in the VIP tent at the event.
Thiem spoke about their busy schedules and rare appearances, saying:
"It's very nice when she's in the box! We don't see each other every week - I often have to do without her because I travel a lot and she's very busy. That’s why we enjoy the time we have together!" he said.
The couple started dating in 2021. Between Thiem being on the tennis tour and Paul-Roncalli performing in Circus Roncalli, a circus founded and owned by her father, the duo have hardly been seen together in public.
Other guests at the event included Alexander Zverev and his girlfriend Sophia Thomalla, Tommy Haas, German singer Tim Bendzko and 'DJane' Giulia Siegel.
Dominic Thiem advances to BMW Open R2 in Munich
Dominic Thiem advanced to the second round of the BMW Open in Munich after a walkover in the first round. He will next square off against Swiss Marc-Andrea Huesler.
Thiem is in his quest for his first title since his 2020 US Open victory. After a wrist injury had put him out of action for most of the 2021 season, he is looking to find his form again.
In a post-match interview after his opening-round win in Munich, the 29-year-old recalled his last appearance in the tournament, which came in 2016 when he finished as the runner-up.
"Of course I love to play here. The memory of snow in the first round, the break because of heavy snowfall is very funny. I'll have it in my head forever, so I really like to remember that and also the week in 2016 was great," Thiem said.
Eighth seed Huesler will come into the match against Thiem on the back of a 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3 victory over Kyle Edmund.