ATP Finals London: Thiem-Physio Alex Stober - "Dominic is in top form"
Alex Stober accompanies Dominic Thiem as a physiotherapist on the ATP tour all year round. For tennisnet, the man from Nuremberg took a few minutes before the start of the finals in London.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Nov 10, 2019, 08:43 am
tennisnet : Mr. Stober. What do you do with a player at this stage of the year as a physical therapist?
Alex Stober : Quite simple: keep Dominic physically running. Keep in a good mood, have fun, that he is here. And do the essentials that are necessary to keep the tension. But of course he is not stressed anymore with intensive fitness sessions. He should just enjoy that he is here.
tennisnet : Dominic is currently training with Rafael Nadal, of whom we know that the abdominal muscle was a little offended. Is everything right with your protege?
Stober : Dominic has no concerns. After the overcoming US tour, he is really on a very good path with an upward trend, and he feels physically completely fresh.
tennisnet : In retrospect, were the difficulties that Dominic had in Cincinnati and then at the US Open even a little helpful?
Stober : Of course no one likes to miss a tournament like Cincinnati. But it has been shown that Dominic has behaved correctly. He was well acclimated, we played a surprisingly good Asian tour. He won the tournament in Vienna, which everyone was looking forward to. And Dominic has just taken his personal break, has cured certain things. And is now top there.
tennisnet : In Vienna you were very emotional in the coaching room. Why?
Stober : I was just happy for Dominic, because somehow he wanted to win the thing so badly. And wanted to reward himself. I just tried to confirm him in one way or another, that he is doing the right thing. And of course, I was also happy for him.
tennisnet: You said in Rome that you advise your player about an hour before the start of the game again a bowl of rice with tomato sauce. What does the plan look like when he plays against Roger Federer at 9pm this Sunday?
Stober : Around midday we will do a light fitness session at the hotel, to build some suspense, so that he is already well sweaty. Then Dominic will take a break when we get over to the hall. And then he will try to beat himself after the single from Djokovic. Then we have enough time to eat and prepare.
"Roger Federer does not make many mistakes"
tennisnet : What is he eating?
Stober: From time we have a lot of leeway, because he can quietly take his bowl of pasta. Maybe soup, some vegetables, light chicken.
tennisnet : The afternoon nap from which one sometimes hears from football circles - does that also play a role in Dominic Thiem?
Stober : Sometimes. The fact that it is just an evening event and Dominic will not play before 20 clock local time, it can not hurt that he makes a kind of power nap and comes down briefly. Must not be long, a forty-five minutes maximum. That usually does him good.
tennisnet : They were probably the longest with Dominic in the past season. Which week would you pick out as a highlight?
Stober : What really made me happy this year and what also came as a surprise was the week of Indian Wells, where he won the great final against Roger Federer. He showed a lot of class and strength. That was a great surprise - because I like the tournament very, very much.
tennisnet : One more word to today's opponent - how does Roger Federer manage to play at the top of the league at the age of 38?
Stober : I think Roger has personally managed a good management. He plays, takes his time off, listens to himself and his good team. He just does not make many mistakes.