"It's not that much better in Adelaide" - Dominic Thiem's manager on quarantine conditions
Dominic Thiem’s manager Herwig Straka recently claimed that the Australian Open players quarantining in Adelaide don't have much better facilities than those residing in Melbourne. According to Straka, the only real differences in the two cities are that the Adelaide accommodations come with a balcony and that the practice sessions are not too crowded.
Herwig Straka is Dominic Thiem’s manager and is part of the World No. 3's entourage for the upcoming Australian hardcourt swing. Straka is residing in the same hotel as Thiem, but has been given a room of his own. He is also permitted to attend the 27-year-old's training sessions.
On the other hand, several players staying in Melbourne have revealed that their rooms are uncomfortably small. Additionally, none of the 72 players who have been placed in ‘hard quarantine’ are allowed to meet their team members, let alone practice.
The quality of food served to the players has also been criticized by many.
It has been widely suggested that Adelaide's conditions are significantly superior to those of Melbourne, but Herwig Straka doesn’t think that is true. Dominic Thiem’s manager pointed out that the Adelaide accommodation only has two advantages, and also one disadvantage since Thiem would eventually have to move to Melbourne and adjust to the new conditions.
“It's not that much better in Adelaide,” said Straka. “The few advantages are that the player's team can be bigger, that it doesn't get so jammed during training times, and that the rooms have a balcony. For this, Dominic has to travel from Adelaide to Melbourne after the quarantine and has no time to adjust to the conditions there before the ATP Cup.”
Not a lot has been revealed about the facilities afforded to players like Dominic Thiem, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in Adelaide. But from social media updates, it can be seen that these players have been given a spacious balcony - which many residing in Melbourne have claimed to be larger than their entire room.
Dominic Thiem’s training is going well: Herwig Straka
Moving on to issues concerning Dominic Thiem, Herwig Straka revealed that the 27-year-old has been training well. When the Austrian is not wielding a racquet, Thiem spends his time indulging in common pastimes like reading, watching shows and playing video games.
"The training is going well and it is at a very high level," Straka added. "In his room he passes the time with series shows, computer games and reading."
Each player residing in Adelaide has been allowed five hours daily to practice along with their chosen practice partner. In Thiem’s case, that partner is his good friend Dennis Novak.
Herwig Straka also confirmed that Dominic Thiem’s coach Nicolas Massu would not be permitted to make the trip to Australia, given that he recently tested positive for COVID-19. Straka added that Thiem’s father, Wolfgang, is leading his son’s training - as he was widely expected to.
“Dominic's father Wolfgang leads the training and is in contact with Nico a lot,” added Straka. “Although he (Massu) is now negative, he will still not make it to the Australian Open.”