Michael Stich about Dominic Thiem: "Still has room for improvement"
Michael Stich spoke about Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev in an interview. The Wimbledon winner from 1991 was impressed by the development of both players, but still sees room for improvement at Thiem.
by Lukas Zahrer
last edit: Feb 22, 2020, 11:04 am
"He has developed incredibly, has a lot of potential, is a very complete player. He will probably still have to go through an experience process on grass, but even now he is playing really good matches there," said Stich in an interview with the crown . Stich's work impresses Stich as much as that of Günter Bresnik, ex-coach Thiems.
Nevertheless, it was possible for Thiem to "make his game much more variable," said Stich. "In my opinion, he should avoid playing rallies that are too long. That's why I used to go online regularly. Thiem has developed very well technically, but there is still room for improvement in terms of tactics."
For example, the more experienced players have developed their tennis further and are quicker to make the decision in a rally. Roger Federer led the way, but Rafael Nadal has also been increasingly aggressive in recent months. "It's getting more and more difficult for them on the baseline," said Stich.
Michael Stich: Alexander Zverev a world class player
Like Thiem, he thinks Alexander Zverev is a world-class player with a similar game philosophy. The big difference is the physical requirements. "Zverev has the better serve, Thiem is better from the baseline," said Stich.
And further: "The playing style of Stefanos Tsitsipas, for example, is already another. He is looking for the risk earlier. But to be honest, I am not close enough to the daily work to be able to do a clear analysis . "
Stich won 18 ATP tournaments in his career, including the Wimbledon tournament in 1991. A year later he won in the same place in doubles. At the French and the US Open he reached the final, at the 1992 Olympic Games he won gold in doubles.