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2021 French Open – Roland Garros
Qualifying rounds: 24-28 May 2021
Main draw: 30 May-13 June 2021
Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France
Austrian tennis player Dominic Thiem will look to claim Grand Slam glory at the
French Open at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, with the main draw tournament set to run from Sunday 30 May to Sunday 13 June 2021.
Thiem will be making his eighth appearance at Roland Garros, with the 27-year-old’s best performances being runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2019. The Austrian made a major career breakthrough by winning last year’s US Open, but earlier this year he opted to step away from the sport for a while to take a “break”.
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“I think the pandemic played a little part of it definitely because I think it's mentally little bit more demanding to be in a bubble, to play in front of empty seats,” he explained.
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“But the main reason was that I won the first major, that I reached basically my lifetime goal. So, of course, it's tough to just continue like before. That was the main reason, I just had to think about it, regroup myself. That took a little bit of time.”
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Thiem has, since returning, shown solid form on clay – including a semifinal appearance at the recent Madrid Open – and is hoping to peak just in time for the French Open: “It was a way better result than I expected,” Thiem noted of his time in the Spanish capital.
“Playing-wise and physically-wise, I expected to be in a decent shape. But, of course, there are still many things to improve just to keep all intensity for all the week, day in, day out. Of course, some of the strokes, they need a little improvement. But I'm very optimistic that every week I'm playing now it's going to improve.”
Thiem’s mobility and heavy hitting make him a great fit for the slower clay courts in Paris, but whether he has the conditioning and confidence to finally take the crown away from Rafael Nadal remains to be seen.
Dominic Thiem: French Open record
Appearances: 7
Win-loss record: 28-7
Best result: Runner-up (2 – 2018, 2019)
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