Dominic Thiem - "The Davis Cup hurts the most"
Dominic Thiem will not be able to defend his title at the US Open. At a small media round on the occasion of the start of the second edition of his hobby player tournament series "Red Bull Thiem, Set, Match", the Austrian number one was nevertheless cautiously optimistic.
by APA / red
last edit: Aug 22, 2021, 10:24 am
In a normal tennis year, Dominic Thiem would have been in North America long ago, getting the finishing touches for the US Open, which begins on August 30th. After the 2020 season, which was characterized by the Corona break, the current season is anything but normal for the Austrian. After the arduous start in Australia, Thiem slipped into a motivation hole, took a longer break, and finally injured his wrist during the opening match at the ATP Tour 250 tournament on Mallorca. The targeted comeback at the US Open broke a few days ago, Thiem will no longer be on the ATP tour this fall. And thus not only missed the last major in New York City, but also the home Davis Cup in November in Innsbruck, where Austria competes in a group with Germany and Serbia.
On Friday, Thiem gave the starting signal for the second edition of "Red Bull Thiem, Set, Match" and also gave information about his current sensitivities. Here are some excerpts.
They had to announce the end of their season two days ago. How are you now with this decision?
I'm actually better now than before because there is complete clarity now. I now have an exact timetable for what the next few weeks and months will look like. Before that, there was hope and fear all the time. The US Open and the rest of the season were in the back of my mind and I really wanted to do it. It just came too early and I paid a little the price for not having any experience with injuries like this. I wanted too much a little too soon. The training never really worked, especially the forehand, so it was always a bad feeling and at least that's gone now.
Are you currently training?
"Not now for a week or two, that would be too long a training phase. I'm still in top shape now. I really plowed for three weeks in fitness, on and off the pitch. That showed me how long I was around need until I'm in top shape again and that's three or four weeks. I'll start again after two or three weeks. "
Other players had similar injuries too?
"Nadal had the same thing in 2016, Nishikori had the same, and so did Bencic. The doctors have said that if it heals properly, it is not a problem."
How big is the chance that an operation could also occur?
"If things don't go as planned, the chance is already there, but it wouldn't be a mishap either. It would simply increase the time until I can be back on the pitch. If it fits, Australia is definitely an issue. If it really comes to the surgery, it will take a month or two longer. But it would be an operation that many players have already done and it is not a bad thing in terms of the future. "
2021 would have brought some more highlights: The title defense at the US Open, Vienna and the Davis Cup in Innsbruck. What are you particularly sorry for?
"It all hurts, plus Indian Wells. The Davis Cup hurts the most, it is perhaps the only time such a great home Davis Cup. Of course Vienna is bitter, but I will definitely play that a few more times. But how often such a home Davis Cup will be against Serbia and Germany - maybe never again. "