Dominic Thiem and the forehand: "Some wrong things crept in"
Dominic Thiem (ATP No. 162) talks about the difficulties of his comeback and his goals for the future.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: May 09, 2022, 09:24 pm
Dominic Thiem is still waiting for his first win after his comeback - in Monday's match against Fabio Fognini, however, he showed a clear improvement compared to the last few weeks .
In general, however, Thiem still has to deal with the aftermath of injuries - albeit indirect ones. Match fitness is something different than “just” being physically fit. Or the head, for which a tennis match is very exhausting: "It takes time before I can concentrate again for three, four, five hours at a time," Thiem said in an interview with Die Presse at the weekend .
It was recently noticeable that the forehand at Thiem was not the old one. Thiem now revealed the reason: "Due to the long break and the protective posture of the wrist, some wrong things crept into my forehand. I sometimes have the feeling that I'm going through with it, but in reality I'm playing with the whole thing instead of with my wrist Arm, and I try my best, but nothing comes out.” The goal is to get the forehand back in place – with full use of the wrist.
He knows that everything takes time – even if it is frustrating. The sport is developing every day, he now has a big backlog due to his time off. "It was clear to me that this comeback would be difficult and that I wouldn't tear everything up."
Dominic Thiem: Top 5 as a goal
Thiem doesn't put any pressure on his ranking, he has his protected ranking (6th place), and he hopes for wildcards. Thiem's goal: to be able to keep up with the best at the French Open again. And go far in tournaments in the second half of the year.
And in general: to get back to being able to play for victory in every tournament. He doesn't play "to be a follower or to reach the top 20." Of course, his impressive team should help. "I want to do this comeback 100 percent right," said Thiem. "And I believe a team like that is necessary to get back in the top five."