Last dance? Thiem opens against Darderi in Vienna

Dominic Thiem will end his career in Vienna.
GEPA images

Thanks to a wildcard, Dominic Thiem can once again compete in the main competition of an ATP tournament in Vienna. The 31-year-old, who will end his career after the 500 event in the Austrian capital, will face world number 44 Luciano Darderi (ITA) in the first round. That was the result of the draw on Saturday.

Thiem will possibly play his last professional match on Tuesday. Should the former world number three hold his own against Darderi, he would face Jack Draper (GBR) or Kei Nishikori in the round of 16.

Zverev in round one against Schwärzler

The top seeded player in Vienna is the German Alexander Zverev. The 27-year-old, who won the “Red Bull BassLine” on Friday and will play a new edition of the 2020 US Open final against Thiem on Sunday as part of an exhibition, opens up about the Austrian youngster Joel Schwärzler.

Zverev’s biggest competitors in the fight for tournament victory in Vienna are likely to be Alex de Minaur, Grigor Dimitrov and Tommy Paul. However, the top ten players Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz, who had to cancel their participation at short notice due to injuries, will not be there.