MUNICH, April 14, 2024

Dominic Thiem is back in Munich and ready to compete in his fourth BMW Open. The 30-year-old Austrian will start his campaign at the venue of the MTTC Iphitos on Monday against Spanish qualifier Alejandro Moro Canas.

“It’s a dream to be here,” said Thiem as he sat on the terrace of the VIP tent overlooking the tennis complex on a sunny Sunday afternoon. “I like the city as well as the club and I always feel very comfortable here.”

However, Thiem has struggled to get back to top form after suffering a wrist injury three years ago. He was sidelined from the court for months and fell out of the Top 300 of the ATP Rankings in 2022. The lingering effects of his injury has limited his ability to generate power.

“It’s frustrating in many situations on the court, as it just doesn’t feel the same as before the injury. But I have to accept it and try to make the best of it,” Thiem explained.

Munich a good spot for Thiem

Nonetheless, the 2020 US Open champion has returned to the Top 100. Thiem parted ways with long-time coach Benjamin Ebrahimzadeh and is currently working with Latvian Karlis Lejnieks.

The BMW Open has always been a good place for Thiem. He finished runner-up to three-time Munich champion Philipp Kohlschreiber in 2016 and advanced to the quarterfinals last year, falling to US-American Taylor Fritz.

“I like playing at altitude. I arrived here pretty early on Friday and had some good practice sessions over the last couple of days,” the World No. 97 said. “Of course, it’s never easy to face a qualifier in the first round, a player who has already won two matches here, but I feel ready for tomorrow.”

The qualifying matches are over but there are still many spectators on the grounds, some of them watching the Thiem – van de Zandschulp afternoon practice session on Center Court.#ATPTour #Munich 🍺 pic.twitter.com/1OMEBJcRIR

— Florian Heer (@Florian_Heer) April 14, 2024

Qualifiers round out main draw

Before a packed Center Court at the MTTC Iphitos, the tennis action continued and four qualifiers completed the main draw of the ATP 250 event. Francesco Passaro emerged victorious from an all-Italian affair with qualifying top seed Andrea Pellegrino, 6-3, 6-4. The 23-year-old Perugia native sent down six aces and won 84 per cent of his first-service points to succeed in one hour and 48 minutes.

“It was a derby. We know each other very well, which is never easy. My goal was to be aggressive, trying to play my game. This worked out pretty well. I played a good match,” said Passaro, who was impressed by the atmosphere on Center Court.

“It was incredible to play in front of this amazing crowd. It’s such a nice tournament here with a perfect organization. I feel like at home.”

Passaro, appearing in his second tour-level main draw of the season, will face local wild card entry Rudolf Molleker in the first round.

Meanwhile, Ivan Gakhov showed a solid performance as he defeated Henri Squire of Germany 6-3, 6-4 to book his spot in the main draw. The 27-year-old Moscow native, who is based in Barcelona, saved all three break points he faced and converted two of his own four break-point chances to prevail after one hour and 18 minutes.

“I didn’t have a good start into the season and decided that there is a moment to play with the good guys. I am very happy with my performance today and of course reaching the main draw,” said Gakhov, a winner of two ATP Challenger Tour titles last year. The World No. 223 is in Munich for the first time.

“It is a really nice experience here. I have started a routine with my coach, where we take scooters to go out for dinner every evening. I think we will repeat it tonight. The weather is nice, which should change in the upcoming days. So let’s enjoy another sunny day here.”

Gakhov will play last year’s BMW Open finalist Botic van de Zandschulp from the Netherlands in the first round of the main draw. Marc-Andrea Huesler of Switzerland completes the quartet of qualifiers. He will face MTTC Iphitos member and wild card entry Marko Topo of Germany.

Main draw action is kicking off Monday at 11 am local time.