Jan de Witt - "Dominic Thiem is an exciting story"
Jan de Witt in the tennisnet interview about the season of Nikoloz Basilashvili, the comeback of Andy Murray and the Grand Slam prospects of Dominic Thiem .
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Oct 24, 2019, 08:38 am
By Jens Huiber from Vienna
Jan de Witt arrives punctually at the appointed breakfast date at the players' hotel, the trip to Vienna in the autumn of 2019 has come to an early end after just one match between his protégé Nikoloz Basilashvili. A destination has the Duo de Witt / Basilashvili still in front, Paris Bercy namely, then it goes on vacation. Most of the preparation for 2020 will take place at the Breakpoint Base in Halle / Westphalia, and the goals for the coming year are set high.
tennisnet : Mr. de Witt. What do you think is the year of Nikoloz Basilashvili?
Jan de Witt : The retrospective is very double-edged. If I respond emotionally, I would say it was a shitty season. We could not achieve what we set out to do. Neither in quality nor in results. If we could have done all that we wanted to do, we would have come closer to our goals. Whether we can achieve our very big goals, we will see only if we have worked constantly over a longer period.
tennisnet : These goals are?
de Witt : We do not think so much about the ranking, but rather about the big tournaments, the Grand Slams. We want to be really good. But we were not that year. For this one would have to be able to train stable and without restrictions over a longer period of time. If you can do it, and Medvedev is a great example of this year, you can play incredible tennis. And I trust Niko too. But we did not make it in 2019. And that's why I'm not satisfied with the season.
tennisnet : On the other hand?
de Witt : On the other hand, of course, one can also say: we have had so many problems this year - and yet are plus-minus around 20 in the world. You also have to be respectful of what the player did in a difficult situation. That is not self-evident. And that makes me very confident that we can be much more dangerous in 2020.
tennisnet : Was there a match you would like to play again?
de Witt : I do not have that kind of thing. I am not a human being who mourns missed opportunities now. I'm looking forward. I would like to have a healthier year 2020, a more stable one with fewer fluctuations. Then we have no reason to mourn any matches. It was not like there was a match this year that we said after that: It was a huge opportunity now, and we did not use it. We had a lot of matches where we made shit and did not have to lose. But there is nothing outstanding here.
Jan de Witt - "No pig is preparing for Shanghai"
tennisnet : In Shanghai, Daniil Medvedev was the oldest player in the semifinals at the age of 23. Was this the change of guards we've all been waiting for?
de Witt : Of course we have to wait for the slams. Because the 1000s have already won the guys last year. That's nothing new. Khachanov, Zverev. The classification among the players is such that the slams are really what counts. And you can see that in the planning of the old players. And none of them is in good shape anymore. Like last year. Because to be able to bring a special performance, they have to prepare properly. No pig is preparing properly for Shanghai. We all fly there and get the maximum out, which is still possible. But this is not a season highlight. Sure, everyone wants to win when he's on the pitch. But a Federer or Djokovic are not the same ones we usually see in Wimbledon. They can not be. You can not be so well prepared ten times a year. But: What Dani showed at the US Open is a sign to me that this shift will come. And soon. Next year will be the first year in which one of the boys wins a slam. I'll hang on.
tennisnet : Does Dominic Thiem still count among these young players for you?
de Witt : Dominic is definitely one of them, even if he's not that young on paper anymore. He is one of the boys who have not won a slam yet. In Paris, he certainly still has his best chance, on hard court he plays now also very, very neat. There have been a few things changed lately. I believe that he lives on the fact that Günter Bresnik has trained him extremely well. You can still see that technically he is one of the best players on the tour. There are no guarantees for anything. And the further development of Dominic Thiem is one of the exciting stories in the tennis circus.
"Andy does not know that, too"
tennisnet : No more young, but: Andy Murray won a single tournament in Antwerp for the first time after his hip replacement last week. How do you rate his comeback?
de Witt : Personally, I think it's good because Andy is good at tennis. I have always enjoyed playing Andy. It has always been one of the toughest matches because Andy really cares about the game. It's amazing that you can bring this performance with his health restrictions. And I'm happy for him because I know how much he loves the game. On the other hand, if you've seen the pictures from his hip, I'm curious how long that will last. No one knows, not Andy, not his doctors.
tennisnet : Finally: The German Davis Cup team will compete without Alexander Zverev at the final tournament in Madrid. How would you see the chances of Struff, Kohlschreiber and Co.?
de Witt : If Djokovic and Nadal play well and play seriously then that will be very difficult for all the other teams. However, I tend to say that everything is possible because no player will be well prepared. The appointment is so modest. The go there are either flat or come from vacation. And why should not our boys win there? I think that's possible.