Dominic Thiem believes Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are the two favourites to win this year’s Australian Open but claimed he is one of four others who ‘has a good chance’ of challenging the pair. The tournament is scheduled to start on February 8 and Thiem has been quarantining in Adelaide ahead of the competition.
Speaking to ORF TV, Thiem named himself among the group of players most likely to challenge Nadal and Djokovic for the Australian Open title.
“I still see Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic a small step above [Stefanos] Tsitsipas, [Daniil] Medvedev, [Alexander] Zverev and me, but of the six everyone has a good chance of winning that,” he said.
Asked about being one of the players quarantining in Adelaide instead of Melbourne, Thiem added: “The quarantine regulations are exactly the same as in Melbourne, from which there will be no great advantage.
“Of course, it is perhaps a bit more pleasant in Adelaide where there are not 300 people there, but only about 20.
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“They also have a gym in their hotel. So they don’t have to do their fitness exercises during the five-hour period.
“You only have the five hours to play tennis. There was a huge discussion and the other players were also upset.”
However, the Australian Open’s Tournament Director Craig Tiley dismissed his complaints, saying: “The top players do have better living conditions because they have a balcony.
“I get the feeling that it’s perceived as preferential treatment, but they’re the top players in the world, it was an advantage for us to get the additional quarantining space and it’s a great opportunity for Adelaide and they deserve it.
