'Novak Djokovic invited Dominic to play in Belgrade,' said Wolfgang Thiem

Friday, 26 March 2021 at 16:00

Instead of Barcelona, where he won the title in 2019, world no. 4 Dominic Thiem will compete in Belgrade in April, chasing the title against world no. 1 Novak Djokovic.

Dominic's father Wolfgang said that Djokovic asked his son to compete in Belgrade after spending a great time together during the last year's Adria Tour in the Serbian capital. Speaking about Dominic's foot injury, Wolfgang revealed it is nothing serious, as it often happens when his son plays on the hard court.

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"Novak Djokovic asked him to play, and he accepted. Dominic is looking forward to playing in front of a crowd again. His foot is fine; we just had to check a few things. But these are small things that always occur when Dominic plays on hardcourt.

Specific differences also play a role on the surface. Everyone has their weak point; for Djokovic and Berrettini, it's the abdominal muscles; for Dominic, it's the foot. But it's nothing serious; otherwise, it would also hurt when he doesn't put any weight on his foot.

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Dominic always has problems on hardcourt because he slides. Over the years, a callus developed, and if this area is subjected to too much stress, irritation can occur. You have to give it a few days of rest. In any case, it's good that he's switching to clay now.

Dominic Thiem

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... the conditions are definitely slightly different: It is hotter in Dubai, the courts are faster as well. I can’t wait for my first match ... dominicthiem.at/en/news-en/hot…

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