Dominic Thiem: I couldn't believe how sore I was after returning to practice court

Austrian tennis star Dominic Thiem says it felt great to return to the practice court but he couldn't believe how sore he was after finishing his practice session. 

The 26-year-old is considered one of the most prepared players on the Tour as his physical preparation has been nothing but exceptional since he broke out on the Tour in 2016. 

The ATP initially suspended the Tour on March 12 because of the coronavirus outbreak and there won't be any events taking place until at least July 13 -- but there is a strong chance that another suspension will be the case. 

"I was looking forward to playing properly again for the first time. The game went quite well," Thiem told APA, as revealed on Eurosport Deutschland. "But I couldn't believe what sore muscles I had the day after."

As the chances of not seeing any tennis for at least several more months -- or not even for the rest of the year grow -- tennis federations across the world have been exploring the idea of creating domestic competitions during the Tour suspension. 

Thiem, who is enjoying a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the world, would certainly love to see such a competition formed in Austria and Germany as he thinks that would be helpful during the Tour suspension.

"Above all, because there are really good players in Austria and Germany with whom you could have great matches," Thiem said. 

The Austrian fell just short of winning his maiden Grand Slam title at this year's Australian Open as he was edged out by Novak Djokovic in a five-set final.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3bXjSO8