"I love the conditions, court and event" says Thiem after reaching Madrid Open QF

Dominic Thiem defeated Alex De Minaur at the Madrid Open reaching the quarterfinals once more.

The Austrian has looked really good so far at the event but he also faced opponents that generally don't play well on clay. De Minaur has enjoyed his best clay event in years here but he is still far from comfortable on the surface. Despite that, Theim has looked better than expected after a lengthy absence. After the match he said:

“There were many long rallies, [which is] exactly what I need right now. I am very, very happy again with my performance… It was nice. I love the conditions, the court and the tournament.”

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Despite playing well Thiem did admit to feeling some rust:

“I feel way better than expected. In some points and some rallies, I still feel the lack of matches. I am a little bit more out of breath, I am a little bit too tight in some shots and some strokes."

That does not bother Thiem who adapted well against De Minaur in the 2nd set which is something he highlighted after the match as well:

“Everything has to be a little more relaxed again to be in the match mode. I lost a little bit of intensity after winning that close first set. I have to get back in a rhythm, but the more matches I play against these top guys, the quicker I will get back in the match rhythm I need.”