Dominic Thiem joins Novak Djokovic at Adria press meet, says it's 'good to see the guys again'
The ATP tour has been suspended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but tennis is slowly making a return to the courts. The Adria Tour, a charity tournament being organized by the Novak Djokovic Foundation, will see several top stars competing during its run - including World No. 3 Dominic Thiem.
The first leg, being held in Belgrade - Novak Djokovic's hometown - will see the participation of the World No. 1 too in addition to his vanquished Australian Open finalist. The two will be joined by a few other top-ranked players, who are all trying to get some match practice ahead of the resumption of the tour.
At the press conference held today to mark the start of the first leg, Dominic Thiem couldn't hide his joy at meeting his rivals and friends after such a long time. Demonstrating the camaraderie that the top stars share despite competing against each other throughout the season, Thiem was all praises for Novak Djokovic and Co.
“I'm very glad to see the guys, because usually we see each other week in, week out. I really missed them and I'm happy again that I’m back with them," Dominic Thiem said.
Dominic Thiem says the Novak Djokovic-hosted tournament will have a great atmosphere
Dominic Thiem said that the presence of crowds at the event will provide an atmosphere at the venue that he has sorely missed.
"I actually played seven matches in Austria actually in a tournament, but there were no crowds there so it's amazing that crowds are back," Dominic Thiem added.
Also present at the presser were the other stars of the Adria Tour first leg - Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev, and of course the host Novak Djokovic. Thiem said that he received an amazing welcome in Belgrade and was looking forward to the start of the tournament from tomorrow.
The claycourt tournament will have a best-of-three-sets format, with a player needing to win four games instead of the usual six to win a set. If required, a tiebreak will take place at 3-3.
Here is the schedule of the tournament:
- June 13-14 at Belgrade
- June 20-21 at Zadar
- June 27-28 at Montenegro
- July 3-4 at Banja Luka
Both Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem have said they are fully invested in the tournament, and that they are not taking it lightly. Thiem had even stated earlier that he would be the best prepared player for the tournament, having played tennis in Austria recently.
With the tennis world embroiled in a bit of controversy regarding the status of the US Open, the fans would be hoping that the Adria Tour brings back the inherent bonhomie of the tour.
