Rafael Nadal will always be the no. 1 favorite on clay, says Dominic Thiem
Dominic Thiem was the only player besides Fabio Fognini who has defeated Rafael Nadal on clay since 2017. The Austrian player still believes that the Spaniard has the biggest chances to win on clay. "As long as Rafa is playing, he will always be the no. 1 favorite on clay. He's by far the best player ever on this surface. So, it's -- one win more or less is not going to change this fact. But I think after him, there is a small group of players which can be, which can go very far at each clay-court tournament as well and I think I'm in this group as well," said the 25-year-old.
On David Ferrer's retirement from tennis, Thiem added: "His career is outstanding and I feel very sad that he's stopping, but he really deserves it, he has one of the best careers ever, I would say. And for me, it's pretty special because I watch him on the television ten, 15 years ago, how he played all the big matches. And then three years ago, I played against him myself. I played against him two times. Was very, very nice experiences. And so I wish him only the best. He's a great player, great guy. So tennis will miss him for sure."
Thiem approaches the Madrid Open confidently: "I, obviously feel really good coming into this tournament. I just won my biggest title on clay which was an amazing week. But I think it doesn't matter for this tournament because all the best players in the world are here. It's completely different conditions than in Barcelona. But I'm always very happy to come back here. I played finals two previous years. I feel very good here with the altitude and with the little bit of special conditions. So, I hope that I can keep my good form."
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2J4OnXw
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