Dominic Thiem: "I've shifted up a few gears again"
After reaching the second ATP quarter-finals of the season in Munich, a tidy Dominic Thiem interviewed Servus TV on the show "Sport und Talk aus dem Hangar-7" and also gave a reflected insight into his world of thoughts.
by Dietmar Kaspar
last edit: Apr 25, 2023, 11:58 pm
The Lichtenwörther draws new self-confidence from the victories in the past three tournament weeks and can even gain positive things from the last two defeats. “There weren't many wins in the first three months and the last three weeks have definitely been on the up with some matches won. The losses in the last two tournaments were against players who are certainly among the best in the world at the moment – Holger Rune and Taylor Fritz.”
classification of one's own performance
"It was also important to see what's missing from these players. I saw progress in the matches against the two top 10 players and that's what it's about to improve every week." "Compared to the end of last year, I notice that I can dominate these people again with good rallies, they just have to become more frequent."
Separation from Massu desired on both sides
The former US Open champion commented on the termination of his collaboration with coach Nicolas Massu as follows: "In the last few weeks and months we have noticed that we both need a new challenge or a new input and that it will soon come to an end. That's why it was a good fit."
Completely renewed team
Thiem sees the immediate availability of his neo-coach Benjamin Ebrahimzadeh as a stroke of luck, who, alongside brother Moritz as manager and physio Matthias Kapl, will in future form the closest circle around the former No. 3 in the world: “On the last day in Estoril, Benni and I We talked for a long time about my tennis and he told me his ideas about how I have to play tennis in order to be really successful again. I realized that that was the right thing to do and that something appealed to me.”
Mental trainer opens up new perspectives
Thiem also got new input in the mental area: "Working with a mental trainer is new for me and certainly helps to separate tennis from private life and not to combine it completely. It was extremely helpful and is also important for general well-being. There have certainly been a few doubts lately as to whether I can play as well and successfully as before. But I definitely see things much more positively again.”
increased training intensity
In addition to the newly gained composure, the Lower Austrian also sees progress in the training work: "We have significantly increased the scope and intensity of the training and that is exactly what I need at the moment. I gave 100 percent in every session and that's important for me too. Before that, a certain sloppiness crept in and I was in a certain comfort zone. Now I've shifted up a few gears again."
Thiem is absolutely convinced that the path he has taken is the right one: "If I continue to do this for the next few weeks and months, I can play really well again". The next test of proof for the current No. 93 in the world is the Masters tournament in Madrid, where the Austrian No. 1 will meet British Kyle Edmund thanks to a wildcard in the main draw.