Dominic Thiem away from the tennis court: animal lovers, soccer freaks, feminists
Dominic Thiem has been in the top 10 of the ATP world rankings in recent years. He played with spectacular tennis and incomparable fairness on the court in the hearts of the fans. But even outside the tennis court, Thiem shows civil courage and a big heart. A selection without claim to completeness.
by Lukas Zahrer
last edit: May 02, 2019, 05:16 pm
Dominic Thiem's love of animals: of dogs and anteaters
Thiem is known for being one of the greatest animal lovers on the ATP tour. He likes to spend time with family dog Hugo, who sometimes accompanies him to a training session. "I always feel good when I'm surrounded by dogs," explains the twelve-time ATP title holder.
But not only dogs are the number five in the world. "I love animals. And almost every kind, because they are simply really beautiful creatures. Most of them need our help, so I try to work for them, ”says Thiem. He does this via a specially created, second Instagram account, which he manages in parallel to his private feed. At @moredomithiem, he wants to attract more wildlife attention.
“I run this second Instagram channel to express my love for the environment and wildlife. Hopefully I can use it to find and encourage other people who share this enthusiasm. ”Since 2016, Thiem has been the godfather of anteater Ilse in the Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna . In September 2017, he took on the same role for a hammerhead shark at Haus des Meeres.
Dominic Thiem and football: 1. TFC
"Come On You Blues!" At least once a week, blue blood flows through Thiem's veins. The 25-year-old is considered a big fan of Chelsea FC. He already visited the Blues in London in 2015, on the sidelines of the ATP Finals 2016 he exchanged a few words with ex-Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho.
But Thiem is not just feverish in front of the television or in the stadiums, he also laces up his soccer shoes regularly. In the summer of 2016, he fulfilled a big dream and founded the 1st Tennis & Football Club Matzendorf.
The 1st TFC currently plays in friendly matches around four times a year. Jürgen Melzer, Ernests Gulbis, Dennis Novak and Andreas Herzog are among the best-known team members. Ex-tennis professionals Alijaz Bedene and Grega Zemlja founded a similar team in their home country Slovenia, the previous duels with the TFC have been balanced.
If Thiem were to found a soccer team made up of current ATP players, three players should not be missing. “I would set up Roberto Bautista Agut. He played for Villarreal in his childhood and although I have never seen him play, he is said to be the best of us. Then I would leave Rafael Nadal on the wing because he is an incredible footballer. Damir Dzumhur has to go in there too. I already played with him, he is damn fast and technically strong. "
After his tennis career, Thiem would like to play regularly for the TFC and integrate his team into a league operation. "And at some point we have to play against Chelsea," Thiem dreams.
Dominic Thiem, the climate protector
"Play for the ocean <3" After a victory on the ATP tour, Thiem has used the opportunity several times to convey an important message to the public.
For example, immediately after his transformed match ball in the Indian Wells final against Roger Federer, he grabbed the light pen and attracted attention to the pollution of the world's oceans by plastic waste.
For many months, Thiem has been supporting the "4Ocean" organization, which is committed to cleaning the oceans. He wears a bracelet with every match, which was made exclusively from plastic waste. "I really hope that I can take part in one of their cleanups and help," says Thiem.
The Lower Austrian is also increasingly committed to avoiding unnecessary plastic on the ATP tour. At the season finale last year, he used glass instead of plastic bottles. His freshly strung rackets were also not packed in a plastic film. Kevin Anderson, Wimbledon finalist and member of the players' council, gave special praise and recognition.
Dominic Thiem, the feminist
The question of the same payment for women and men arises at the latest at every Grand Slam tournament. Thiem, who has a professional gamer as life partner with Kiki Mladenovic, recently spoke in favor of equal treatment in tennis.
“I know Kiki's training schedule and how hard she works. She winds up her hours just like all men, ”Thiem told the telegraph . "It is therefore only right that women receive the same prize money as men."
And further: “Sure, they don't play on three winning sets in the slams and may therefore have one or two easier matches - especially at the beginning of the tournament. But I can only say that Kiki would also like to play best-of-five. "
Dominic Thiem, the YouTuber
For the 2019 season, Thiem considered a new media offensive to keep his fans up to date at all times. With a certain distance from the events at the individual tournaments, he provides more intimate insights into areas that are not accessible to the usual media.
Thiem is actively supported by his long-time friend Lucas Leitner, who has accompanied him to tournaments regularly since 2017. “It is extremely valuable when he is there because he distracts from tennis. You can also talk about other things and it's great, ”says Thiem.
Dominic Thiem, the homebound
In addition, Thiem has so far always decided not to move his main residence abroad. He has so far ruled out moving to a tax haven - for example to Monte Carlo - as many other tennis professionals have already done. Instead, he prefers living in Seewinkel in Burgenland.
This makes Thiem, alongside Rafael Nadal, one of the few top ATP players who pay their taxes at home.