Dominic Thiem - "Certain opinions from Australia are unnecessary"
Before his first match tomorrow at Tuesday at bett1ACES, world rankings third Dominic Thiem answered questions at a press conference and talked about the Steffi Graf stadium, lawn tennis and the time of the lockdown!
by PM
last edit: Jul 13, 2020, 08:01 pm
Dominic Thiem played the final of his invitation tournament "Thiem´s 7" in Kitzbühel on Saturday. From Tuesday he will serve in the Steffi-Graf-Stadion. On lawn. A few days later, it continues at Tempelhof Airport on hard court. After that there is a longer game-free phase, which Thiem will use again to work on his physique.
Before the first serve in the German capital, Thiem held a virtual press conference. Here is the protocol:
You play a topping "Grand Slam" within a week. Last week on sand in Kitzbühel, this week grass and hard court in Berlin. Is that quite a challenge?
Dominic Thiem: Yes, a very big one. First Kitzbühel with the altitude and now here in Berlin. It is my first lawn match since Wimbledon 2019. I feel good and have played on many different surfaces recently.
Yesterday you had your first training session at the Steffi Graf stadium. Your first impression?
Thiem: So far, I only knew this from the Internet. I came here yesterday for the first time and was very positive about the facility and the stadium. Great thing - a shame that no WTA tournament can take place here this year, but it's really cool that the bett1ACES are being played now.
It starts for you tomorrow. Sinner or Haas - two very different types, also in terms of age. Who would you rather play against?
Thiem: I haven't played against either of them yet. I'd like to play a real match against Tommy, he's a great role model in many things, especially the backhand. It has a very aesthetic game. I've only played against him once at the Tiebreak-Tens in Vienna and would like to play a real match against him. I will play against Jannik more often in the future.
Your relationship with lawn?
Thiem: I really enjoy playing on the lawn. The preparation has suffered in recent years because I got so far in Paris, which was positive, of course, but I just missed the hours on the grass. In 2016 I had great success - victory in Stuttgart, semifinals in Halle. I am looking forward to having two games on grass despite the ATP cancellation. Germany and lawn go well together for me.
Thiem - "We'll be there in a giant bubble"
Do you think the time has come to start the tour again?
Thiem: If it starts I would only play Cincinnati and the US Open anyway. The decision rests with the United States, the Mayor of New York, and the United States government. I think it's all shaky. If it happens, everyone should be sure to travel there. We'll be in a giant bubble there, as you saw at Formula 1 in Spielberg.
How have you experienced the past weeks and months in lockdown and working back?
Thiem: It was a funny and special time that I and we all had never experienced before. I didn't do anything for the first two weeks, just lying around on the couch at home. After that I started doing some sport - going to the mountains, inline skating and all that. From April 20th you could play tennis in Austria again. We were the first in Austria to have a tournament again. That was a goal I could work towards. With all the invitation tournaments, a certain normalcy has now returned. My everyday life looks relatively normal again.
They were in top form before the Corona virus. Do you feel "cheated" about an outstanding season?
Thiem: Not at all, you can't change the situation. There are more important things than sports and tennis, so you have to weigh things up. There are also players who got it much worse than me. I had six, seven incredible years on the tour. The break now is bitter, but what can people say who have just come up or players who will soon end their careers and have now lost half a year? At the moment, other things are more important than sport, you have to keep that in mind.
"The rules here are very strict"
You have played many private tournaments lately. How safe do you feel here?
Thiem: I think it's totally safe here. The rules here are very strict - like last week in Kitzbühel. We tried to avoid any risk there. Here, all measures are also perfect.
Would you say the Adriatic tour was a mistake?
Thiem: Of course it was a mistake, you can't dispute that. It was like we went there from the lockdown and suddenly there was normalcy again. Nobody broke any laws. But we lost a bit of the connection to reality there and let ourselves be infected by the euphoria of the fans. I think that was discussed and enough positive things have happened since then.
Alexander Zverev's cancellation for Berlin raised a lot of dust. There have also been some interruptions from Australia. Can you say anything else or is the topic through for you?
Thiem: In general, that's through for me. Sascha will have reasons for his refusal, he has also argued on social media. Certain opinions, especially from Australia, are unnecessary.
Are you disappointed that you have received so much criticism about the Adriatic tour?
Thiem: No, the criticism was not unfair, we all make mistakes, but at some point it might get a little too much. Novak and the rest of us didn't commit a crime and we learned from the mistakes.
You always emphasize that you like to play tournaments in Germany. What is your relationship with Berlin?
Thiem: I was here for a soccer match four years ago and looked at a few things. Berlin is a very cool city with incredibly different districts. I still very, very much like to play here in Germany. Unfortunately I had to cancel Halle last year, but I'm glad that I can now be in Berlin again for some time.