“Dominic Thiem Battles Windy Conditions to Win at ATP Challenger 175 Tournament in Bordeaux”

When he entered the ATP Challenger 175 tournament in Bordeaux, Dominic Thiem beat Benoît Paire in three sets (6-4, 4-6, 6-3) on Tuesday. The Austrian said he was satisfied with his level of play, despite the windy conditions.

“It’s always tough matches against him. Today (Monday) the conditions were very tricky. It was very windy. Both of us felt it. There were a lot of breaks. It was really not easy to serve. But I remain happy with the victory. I’m happy with my game, despite the wind. It was difficult to play clean tennis, that’s why I decided after the match to go back to a practice court to hit a few balls. Such conditions can “destroy” confidence in your game, so I needed to type in a bit. At the beginning of the year, during the first two or three months, I was not ready to play difficult matches. I trained a lot last week, I’m continuing here too and I think it’s good preparation for Roland-Garros. That’s how I grew up and reached the highest level. By training a lot. With the injuries, I couldn’t train for 10 months and then not as much as before, but now it’s coming back. Now it’s up to me to maintain the intensity to find my level. For Roland-Garros, I will certainly be able to play in the main draw (note: an additional package and the Austrian will enter the draw directly). It is not the responsibility of the tournament to grant me a wild card. If I don’t make it to the main draw, I’m ready to qualify,” said Dominic Thiem on Tuesday during a press briefing.

Interview by EA in Bordeaux