The Austrian admitted he was freaking as his match with Alex Bolt nearly slipped out of his hands.
Dominic Thiem‘s freak factor was high on Day 4 but the Austrian settled himself in earnest to notch a hard-fought 6-2, 5-7, 6-7, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Australia’s Alex Bolt just in time to avoid becoming the biggest week one casualty on either side of the draw.
“I got crazy today in the third set, I think my body language was not the best, It was in my head that I should be 2-0 up, 6-2 6-4, I should be up,” fourth-seeded Thiem told reporters after the match. “I messed it up, instead of that he raised his level, then the crowd got it going and it was all of a sudden it was a really tight third set, and that shouldn’t happen and that’s why I was freaking out inside and also outside today.”
Thiem, who bowed out to Alexei Popyrin in the second round last year, has never been past the fourth round in Melbourne.
The Austrian doesn’t feel that his strenuous five-setter will keep him from putting his best foot forward in the third round, where he’ll meet Taylor Fritz or Kevin Anderson.
“The match I think was 3 hours 20,” Thiem said. “There's a big difference if you play 3 hours 20 in these conditions or if you play four-and-a-half when it's 40 degrees outside. Then it can really affect your later rounds. But a match like today, not really. I mean, that's what we practice for in the off-season. Tomorrow is a day off to recover. Of course, it's better always to finish it off quicker. But like today, it shouldn't be any problem.”
