Alex Stober in the tennisnet interview, part 2: "It was a great trip with Dominic Thiem"
Alex Stober has worked as a physiotherapist with some of the all-time greats in tennis: Michael Stich, Pete Sampras, Gustavo Kuerten, Andre Agassi, Angelique Kerber and most recently with Dominic Thiem. In the second part of the interview, Stober remembers the mood in Li Na's team, the young Dominic Thiem and praises Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Mar 15, 2022, 06:24 am
tennisnet : Mr. Stober. A very special success story in your vita was that with Li Na.
Alex Stober : I came to her like the virgin to the child. I had to take a forced break because Tommy Haas injured his hip badly. Li Na's coach at the time called me and asked if I would be willing to help her. Na: Why not? It quickly became apparent that this would be an incredibly interesting task. The challenge was also great, especially with her knee joint: there was cartilage damage, and some operations had already been carried out. Li Na is an extremely interesting woman, incredibly disciplined - and she also has a lot of respect for us physiotherapists and Western colleagues in general. Because we worked very professionally. I also liked how ambitious she was. I didn't know that about women until then. When Li Na went onto the pitch, she gave everything. But the therapies were completely new territory for her. She told me that before that she was always treated for 15 to 20 minutes a day. For me it was never less than two hours. She's developed really well and in the five years we've worked together she's never had to pull out because of injuries. We are still in regular contact to this day, so a real friendship grew. She was also very stubborn, had her own mind. But when it came down to it, she was fully there.
tennisnet : The successes have also come about.
Stober : Personally, it made me incredibly proud that I was able to be a part of the fact that she was the first and only Chinese woman to win a Grand Slam tournament. Even two. This not only shaped Li Na, but also tennis in China.
tennisnet : Li Na's communication with her trainer and later husband was always interesting. How did you deal with it?
Stober : That was a very interesting constellation. But you have to keep in mind: the two have known each other since they were 16 years old. Since then they have been together day and night. Husband, hitting partner and coach - of course the scraps fly from time to time. You don't listen to each other anymore. That is normal. I was often the mediator between the two, bringing them back together so they could be successful on tour. You had no other option. There were phases when the two didn't talk for days, but: that's all good that ends well. Now the two are married and have two children.
"Andre Agassi is an extremely positive person"
tennisnet : When you say that Li Na showed you great respect - were there also players where you lost this feeling?
Stober : Clearly: I had it. If I felt something like that, then it didn't result in a long-term collaboration.
tennisnet : A man you also looked after was Andre Agassi. However, only in the late phase of his career. Too late?
Stober : Andre is an extremely positive person, always in a good mood, you can feel that when you are in his presence. But unfortunately I got involved relatively. By then his problems with his spine, lower back and hips had progressed so far that I could actually only do care. But the time I had with him was great. A great person, caring, interesting. Great conversations, great way of thinking, especially when it comes to this sport. And with Steffi and Andre we had a very nice community that only started too late.
tennisnet : When it comes to the length of their phases of action, Dominic Thiem should be at the top of this list. Was one of the exciting points also to accompany and observe Thiem's physical development over the years?
Stober : Definitely. The driving force was always Günter Bresnik, who kept contacting me. I gave Günter one or two baskets, but at some point he got me around. When I started with Dominic, it wasn't structured at all. He's done an incredible amount of training, many hours on the pitch. Accordingly, his body was also together. And he didn't even know about this kind of treatment. We started at ground zero. We tried to make it supple. The musculature was hardened, shortened. It's actually a miracle that Dominic wasn't injured more often during this phase. But Dominic has become fitter and more structured, the successes have come. It was a really great trip with him. I can only say positive things about this time. Because it was a lot of fun too.
"Novak Djokovic has set a completely new bar"
tennisnet : Should young players generally work with physiotherapists earlier?
Stober : The associations have their people, you can see that at the Davis Cup. But in the case of Dominic, it was the case that he was in Günter's care. And kept a certain distance from ÖTV.
tennisnet : A man that you have of course also observed for many years is Rafael Nadal, who won the Australian Open at the beginning of 2022 after a long injury break. What surprised you most about this performance?
Stober : We all noticed Rafa's problems, including the Covid infection, which he took with him from the show fight in Abu Dhabi. he certainly didn't travel to Australia optimally prepared. I don't know if he still had problems with his tarsal bone. But for me it was phenomenal to see how someone with such an obvious will to win can push through. Nadal certainly did his best but didn't play his best tennis. He tried to bring a healthy mix into his game. In the end, the mind won, not the body. The head, the will were limitless. Fascinating. Awesome. Advertising for the sport of tennis.
tennisnet : And then there is another man who was not allowed to participate in Australia and now also in Indian Wells and Miami: Novak Djokovic. Have you ever seen a player so agile on the court during your career?
Stober : Djokovic has set a completely new bar. my eyes widen when I see his handlers moving him around. You can imagine how much time it takes to bring the body to this point. There's also an interesting philosophy behind it: They probably think that if you stretch a body that much, you can no longer injure a muscle in the form of a strain because it's stretched to the final degree. Djokovic rides it well and is actually never injured. As far as the Tour is concerned, Djokovic is unique in that regard.