Thiem has already been training on the new courts of the Erste Bank Open since Friday and finally feels good again after overcoming stomach problems. "It was a long story, but now I'm fit again."

Thiem goes into the match against the current world No. 7 without much pressure. "He is certainly the favorite," the Austrian is aware, but still sees chances. "The preconditions are similar to those in Madrid and Wimbledon," Thiem alludes to this year's two encounters, which were both decided in favor of the Greek only in the tiebreak of the last set. You can't afford to make mistakes indoors: "It's not quite as fast here in the Stadthalle, but it's definitely not slow. If both play well there is a big chance that small things will decide."

At the Erste Bank Open, Thiem has already experienced some stellar moments in the past: Last year, the emotional comeback victory against Tommy Paul in three sets, in 2019 the tournament victory. But Thiem also thinks back even further: "When I played qualifying here for the first time, I came up against a top-100 player for the first time. The following year, I played against Thomas Muster. That was something very special and in front of a huge crowd."

He will be able to count on that against Tsitsipas as well. As in recent years, the Wiener Stadthalle will be behind Thiem again this year.

Mega line-up

In addition to this match, there are several other top-class players on Tuesday's schedule. Andrey Rublev, the tournament's No. 3 and winner in 2020, will take on Australian Alexei Popyrin. U.S. crowd favorite Frances Tiafoe faces Daniel Evans, and to close out the day, Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov must contend with Italian youngster Lorenzo Musetti on the center court. Tommy Paul, who last year narrowly fell to Dominic Thiem in the first round, will meet Frenchman Alexandre Muller on the #glaubandich Court at Erste Bank Open 2 Go.