"It's for sure not my strongest surface"
Friday 3 November 2017 08:03, UK
Dominic Thiem admits he is concerned about the speed of the court at London's O2 ahead of the ATP Finals, but is looking forward to the challenge.
The 24-year-old Austrian lifted the Rio Open trophy earlier in the season and also enjoyed a successful clay-court campaign which culminated in a second consecutive semi-final berth at the French Open.
But it is Thiem's record on indoor hard which is his concern ahead of the season-ending extravaganza at the O2 Arena, where the speed of the court is notoriously fast.
His best effort on indoor hard this season is a quarter-final appearance at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, and was dumped out of the Paris Masters in the last 16 by veteran Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.
But Thiem is determined to showcase his improvement which has seen him climb to a career-high No 6.
Every new week is a new chance, so I will try to do my best
"Last year I was hoping for so many things to happen that I qualified for London. It's just way better that I'm already in there, so I can play definitely more relaxed than last year," said Thiem.
"It's for sure not my strongest surface. I mean I'm struggling a little bit, but still, every new week is a new chance, so I will try to do my best."
Sky Sports has the action from the final Masters 1000 tournament of the year in Paris all this week.
The Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan and season-ending extravaganza ATP Finals at London's O2 in November end another memorable year which will be covered via our website www.skysports.com/tennis with live blogs, reports, and expert analysis as the season reaches its climax.
On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsTennis to join in the conversation. Who will win the World Tour Finals this year? Have your say...
