Dominic Thiem has made his ATP Fantasy picks for the penultimate ATP Masters 1000 event of the season in Shanghai, and one name immediately stands out.
The former No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is backing current World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, who has returned to impressive form since recovering from a wrist injury that sidelined him for four-and-a-half months. The 23-year-old Spaniard successfully defended his title at the ATP 500 event in Tokyo on Tuesday, and Thiem cannot ignore his return to form.
“Alcaraz, I think he's coming closer and closer to his top form again, which of course is not nice for all the opponents,” Thiem said. “It makes it almost like a no-brainer to have him in the fantasy team because I think he's physically fresh and also mentally fresh because he had such a long break.”
“I think he's the one to have in the team for the rest of the season because I think he's going to have a very, very strong end to the season. I think everybody should have him in the fantasy team.”
While Alcaraz may be the obvious choice, Thiem has also identified three players who could provide Fantasy managers with plenty of value in Shanghai: Valentin Vacherot, Jiri Lehecka and Jaume Munar, who all impressed in Tokyo.
Vacherot reached the last four in Tokyo and arrives in Shanghai as the defending champion. Last year, as the World No. 204, the Monegasque completed a fairytale run to become the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 champion.
Lehecka also enjoyed an impressive week in Tokyo by reaching the final, while Munar advanced to the semi-finals and pushed Alcaraz to three sets.
“Definitely Vacherot because he played very well last week, reaching the semis and obviously he's the title defender in Shanghai, so he loves the conditions there,” Thiem said of his under-the-radar picks. “He took a little bit of the pressure off by making the semis last week and defending the points [in Shanghai]. So I think he would be a very good pick.
“Then also Lehecka, he played the finals and he's in great shape. I think the conditions also suit him very well. I would also keep an eye on Jaume Munar. In the semis in Tokyo, he played a great match against Alcaraz. He's physically in good shape, which is so important for Asia. So he's also a good pick for Shanghai and for the rest of the season.”
Thiem also has an interesting piece of advice for ATP Fantasy managers looking beyond the obvious names: Keep an eye on players who struggled during the North American hard-court swing. A disappointing run in the United States does not necessarily mean a player is short of confidence. Instead, it can provide a player with extra motivation, while also leaving them physically fresher for the Asian swing.
Thiem knows that feeling. In 2019, he lost in the first round of the US Open before responding with a title run in Beijing and a quarter-final appearance in Shanghai.
“The ones who are physically fresh, maybe the ones who did not play that well in the North America swing, it happened to myself as well,” Thiem said, offering advice about this part of the season. “The one time I played really well in Asia when I won Beijing and the quarters in Shanghai was when I lost early at the US Open and didn't play well in the States.”
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