Dominic Thiem says Andy Murray is a 'role model' after gesture at the net following Madrid Open match

ByJames Walker-Roberts

Updated 03/05/2022 at 11:58 GMT

Andy Murray won his first clay match since 2017 as he beat Dominic Thiem in straight sets in the first round of the Madrid Open. The match was a meeting between two former Grand Slam champions and two players looking to return to the top after serious injuries. Thiem has only played three ATP events after a wrist injury last June and was encouraged by "nice words" from Murray after the match.

Dominic Thiem has described Andy Murray as a “role model” as he looks to return to the top of the game after almost a year away.

Former world No. 3 Thiem was beaten 6-3 6-4 by Murray in the first round of the Madrid Open.

Thiem was playing his third ATP tournament since returning to the tour after a wrist injury last June.

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Murray, who has had his own journey back after hip resurfacing surgery in 2019, had words of encouragement for Thiem at the net, saying: “I hope you feel better soon mate. Great to see you back. Keep going. It takes a lot of time but you’ll be fine.”

Thiem is yet to win a match after returning to the tour, losing in the first round in Belgrade, Estoril and now Madrid.

“It was very nice, his words at the net, and it is worth even more from someone like him who really went through that recovery process,” said the Austrian.

“He is one of the few who knows how tough it is to come back after a major injury and obviously he is a role model with how he came back with his hip injury.”

Murray’s return has been far from straightforward and only in the last 10 months has he shown signs of being able to compete with the best on tour again.

He is now back into the top 100 in the world rankings and reached the final of the Sydney Classic earlier this year.

“It's not easy coming back from such a long time away,” said Murray about Thiem.

“I hope that it's just sort of a mental thing that he will get through with more matches and that it's not still something that is causing him pain or discomfort.

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“At times he hit it well, but there were certainly specific shots that usually he would make. He is still serving well, has a fantastic kick serve and was hitting his backhand very well. He's an excellent mover.”

Thiem finished with 33 unforced errors in the loss to Murray, 24 of them coming from the forehand side.

“Mentally, it will take time to feel confident, totally accelerating on the ball,” added Murray.

“I had a wrist injury when I was 20 years old and it was very difficult. It took me time before I started to feel comfortable on the forehand side again.

"He uses his wrist a lot when he plays. He plays with heavy topspin. It's obviously going to take him time, but he can still hit the ball great. He's serving well, moving well. It's just going to take time."

Murray will next face Denis Shapovalov in the second round on Tuesday evening.

Andy Murray celebrates beating Dominic Thiem

Image credit: Getty Images

The world No. 16 beat Murray in straight sets in their only previous meeting at Wimbledon last year and is currently working with Murray’s former coach Jamie Delgado.

“I do feel like I have started to play some better tennis, and I'm definitely moving better and moved very well tonight," said Murray, who is playing in Madrid after initially saying he was going to skip the clay season to focus on preparing for the grass with new coach Ivan Lendl.

"That's a really important part of my game. It allows me to concentrate on the strategy a little bit more when I'm out there. I was just really happy all around with how I competed, how I played, how I moved, how my body felt.”

Murray won the title in Madrid in 2008 and 2015, but hasn’t played on clay in nearly two years. His win over Thiem was his first victory on the surface since 2017.

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