Fans enraged after former champion Thiem is scheduled to play on Court 17
ATP
Some tennis fans were not happy about Dominic Thiem being scheduled to play on Court 17 on his return to the US Open.
The 2022 US Open will get underway on Monday and it will be played from August 29th until September 11th. Daniil Medvedev is the defending champion at Flushing Meadows
The year before the Russian's triumph, in 2020, Dominic Thiem defeated Alexander Zverev to lift his first and only Grand Slam title at the US Open. After not playing last year, the Austrian returns to New York and he will play for the first time since winning the title.
However, his first match won't happen on any of the three biggest courts. Instead, his match against Pablo Carreno Busta was scheduled to be played on Court 17.
Although the name of the court may be misleading, it's the fourth biggest court at Flushing Meadows, and there will certainly be a lot of space for some fans. However, the fans were enraged, especially because of the last match at the main Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 23rd-seeded Nick Kyrgios will take on unseeded Thanasi Kokkinakis, and according to many fans, this match should not be put at the biggest stadium.
The USTA probably faced a difficult decision when choosing between the 2020 US Open champion and this year's Wimbledon finalist, but they made the choice and left some of the fans furious.
Many voiced their disagreement after the schedule of play was published. Some of the comments read:
"A certain clown on Arthur Ashe but Thiem on court 17?? What a way to show respect for your former champ."
"Kyrgios getting Ashe over Thiem/PCB deserves an eyeroll."
"What a lack of respect for Thiem! He won his title in an empty stadium and did not have the opportunity to play last year, for his first game here maybe he would have deserved to receive the strength of a full crowd he did not have the chance to have in 2020? It is shameful."
