"Not the first time that happens, it's not going to be the last" - When Dominic Thiem spoke on Rafael Nadal getting favored by French Open scheduling
Dominic Thiem has voiced his dissatisfaction with the French Open schedule favoring 14-time tournament champion Rafael Nadal in 2019. The Austrian's comments came after he defeated Novak Djokovic to reach the final.
It was Thiem's second consecutive appearance in the French Open final, having reached it in 2018 as well. He overcame the likes of Tommy Paul, Alexander Bublik, Pablo Cuevas, and Gael Monfils before beating Djokovic to set up a showdown with Nadal.
However, Thiem expressed dissatisfaction with the Roland Garros scheduling as he had to play three consecutive days, while Nadal enjoyed two days of rest due to a two-day gap in his schedule.
Before the championship match, the Austrian told the media that the issue had been ongoing for a long time and was unlikely to change anytime soon. He also admitted that he had to adapt to the situation and get used to it.
"I think it's fine. I mean, it's not the first time that that happens in tennis, and it's not going to be the last time. That's our sport," Dominic Thiem said.
"I mean, we are used to it, that we never know when we're gonna play or sometimes we supposed to have a day off, and then, because of rain or other things, we don't have. So it's okay, I think," he added.
The former US Open champion continued:
"If you see US Open back in the days, it was planned to play Saturday/Sunday. So it's fine for me."
Dominic Thiem on French Open 2019 final against Rafael Nadal: "It's important that I go into the match with belief to win"
The 2019 French Open final mirrored the 2018 edition of the tournament, featuring the same two players: Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem, competing for the men's singles trophy.
During the mentioned press conference, Thiem emphasized the importance of winning the match, particularly because he had never beaten Nadal on Philippe-Chatrier. However, he also stated that he wouldn't put himself under excessive pressure.
"I don't know yet, because I never beat him here on this court," Thiem said. "But still, I had some very good matches in the past against him on clay, and I also beat him on clay already. I think it's really important that I go into the match with the belief to win. That's the most important thing."
"Also, I mean, of course it's big dream for me to win that match tomorrow, to win this title. But I also have in my head that if it's not happening tomorrow, which can happen easy because of the opponent which is on the other side of the net, so I think I don't make myself too much pressure," he added.
Eventually, it turned out to be a disappointing day at the office for Thiem as Nadal defeated him 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 to successfully defend his title.