Dominic Thiem: "Mental cramps" at the end
US Open winner Dominic Thiem could only hobble across the square at the end of the marathon match against Alexander Zverev - he had cramps. But not because of a lack of fitness.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Sep 15, 2020, 09:50 am
It was an unusual picture: Dominic Thiem looked physically battered early on in the US Open final against Alexander Zverev. And the big question that arose was about the foot. Because Thiem had injured himself in the semifinals against Daniil Medevedev, and at the beginning of the final it always looked as if Thiem was always a little step too late on the ball. Was there not enough time for physio Alex Stober to get the 27-year-old back in top shape?
"Physically, I was 100 percent at the beginning of the match," Thiem explained in the press conference. "I had a few problems with my Achilles heel in the semi-finals, but that was over, I wasn't in pain." The problem? The nerves. "I was super tense, as much as I haven't for a long time. I didn't even know what it felt like. And how to get rid of it. But somehow I managed it in the third movement."
Thiem: "Faith was stronger than the body"
At the end of the fifth set, Thiem also got cramps and had his right thigh massaged through at 6: 5. "The first time was years ago," said Thiem, that he got cramps - especially since the Lichtenwörther is one of the fittest players on the entire tour.
But here, too, the head apparently had too much say, the tension before and during the match. "I don't think those were physical cramps," said Thiem. "That was mental. I was so tense all day, including at the beginning of the game." But somehow, according to the world number three, "Faith was stronger than the body. And I'm incredibly happy about that."