Dominic Thiem on separation from Physio Stober: "Trust destroyed"
Dominic Thiem spoke up in an interview and responded to the statements of ex-physiotherapist Alex Stober.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Sep 25, 2021, 09:29 am
Accordingly, Thiem had his wrist injury diagnosed by an expert in Barcelona, who gave the instruction that the hand must absolutely rest. Physio Alex Stober suspected the discus and treated it - in the hope of getting Thiem fit for the US Open. "So I picked up the club much too early. And my wrist clicked again ...", Thiem said in an interview with krone.at .
Thiem went on to say that they had six great years together in which Stober made him fit. "It was a mistake, but mistakes happen. What bothers me is that he did not admit it, twisted the truth by claiming that I was pushing to get fit for the US Open. That destroyed the trust."
Alex Stober upset about the way they split up 
Stober had told tennisnet that he was mainly annoyed about the way the separation was made - this was done by Thiem's management: "I was absolutely loyal to Dominic for six years - and then he didn't even have the courage to tell me that we no longer work together. Thiem also stated a few weeks ago on ServusTV that Stober would continue to be part of the team, although the separation had already taken place.
In the Krone interview, Thiem now stated that he wanted to protect Stober with it. "I wanted to talk to him personally after October 4th, that would have been important to me. But then everything came out somehow." On October 4th, Thiem wants to subject the wrist to a stress test.
Dominic Thiem: is an operation on the wrist threatened?
Thiem had already said on Twitter on Friday that he wanted to express himself more specifically soon, even if he would have liked to keep the topic confidential. According to some media reports, it is important for him to also share his side of the story. An unfortunate mistake ensured "that I not only miss the US Open, but also the entire rest of the season," Thiem wrote.
As he now explained, the splint will be removed on September 28th, and the wrist will be tested on October 4th, "even in the extreme positions in which it is in the forehand." And then? "If the test does not go well, you have to operate," said Thiem. Then he would not be able to train properly again until February or March.
Team Thiem: Reinprecht and Green continue to do so
Thiem also stated that fitness trainer Mike Reinprecht was still part of the team, even if some media had claimed otherwise. "He is still on the team alongside Jez Green and is always on call when I need him."
After a disappointing start to the year as a result of his US Open victory last year, Thiem had taken a break, the return to sand was poor for his circumstances - at the French Open he was eliminated in round 1. The injury to his right wrist followed at the lawn tournament in Mallorca: Thiem had to wear a splint for a few weeks, but then announced that he could start playing tennis again. The setback followed shortly afterwards - and the end of the season.
You can read the aforementioned interview with the Kronenzeitung here.