Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dominic Thiem Madrid Open clash sees special guest Carlos Moya in attendance
Carlos Moya was in attendance during the Madrid Open clash between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem on Saturday, April 30. Moya, who is currently Rafael Nadal's coach, stopped by the Caja Magica to catch the Round of 64 match.
Tsitsipas and Thiem produced a thriller on Court Manolo Santana, with Thiem showing shades of his best on the court. However, Tsitsipas held his nerve when it mattered most and recorded a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(5) comeback victory to move into the third round of the 2023 Madrid Open.
Moya was among those in attendance, albeit in a different capacity than he usually is, with Nadal currently on a break and still recovering from a hip injury.
Former world No.1 @Charlymoya in the house 🇪🇸
#MMOpen https://t.co/z3evIwV7fZ
Nadal is back in training at his academy in Mallorca and could return to the tour with Moya by his side as coach at the Italian Open in early May, before his French Open title defense.
Meanwhile, 4th seed Tsitsipas will face Argentina's Sebastian Baez in the third round. A quarter-final clash between Tsitsipas and Frances Tiafoe is also still on the cards after Tiafoe advanced to the third round with a 6-3, 7-6(5) win against Tomas Etcheverry.
Despite some shaky moments against Thiem, Tsitsipas was highly impressive on his serve, making 39 consecutive first serves at one stage during the match. It was the Greek star's fourth win in nine matches against the Austrian.
"Keep going, you've got this" - Stefanos Tsitsipas to Dominic Thiem after Madrid Open clash
Stefanos Tsitsipas exhibited a touch of class at the end of his match against Dominic Thiem. As the two players greeted each other at the net, Tsitsipas told the Austrian that it was his best performance since coming back from injury and urged him to keep fighting to reach his best level of tennis. Thiem has struggled to get back to his peak form ever since his comeback last year.
"Your best yet. You still have it. Keep going, you've got this," Tsitsipas told Thiem at the net.
Full of respect after an epic encounter 🤝
@steftsitsipas @domithiem #MMOpen https://t.co/Px8DLDQhle
Thiem beat Kyle Edmund 6-4, 6-1 in the first round earlier this week. The former US Open champion reached the quarterfinals of the Bavarian International last week, securing wins over Constant Lestienne and Marc-Andrea Huesler before losing to Taylor Fritz in the last-eight.
Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas entered the Madrid Open on the back of a run to the final of the Barcelona Open.