Moritz Thiem: "The backhand is recognized immediately"
When the name Thiem comes up, the first thing that tennis fans think of is Dominic. But while the fourth in the world rankings celebrated his greatest victory in the Indian Wells desert of California as part of the ATP Masters 1000 Series, Dominic's little brother Moritz is also on the tennis tour.
by Florian Heer from Porec
last edit: Mar 19, 2019, 08:57 pm
In Porec, Croatia, the 19-year-old Austrian competed in a pre-qualifying session to receive a wild card for the qualification of the following tournament in Rovinj. It is all part of the Istarska Rivijera, a three-week clay court swing in Istria.
We spoke to Moritz Thiem after his opening success about the turmoil of the newly introduced ITF World Tennis Tour. In addition, we naturally wanted to know what ambitions he pursues with his tennis career and how he deals with the "big name".
tennisnet: What are the prospects here in Croatia?
Moritz Thiem: It's insane. After a walk-through in the first round, I now have to win four games to qualify in Rovinj. The situation is not easy for me right now. I have a few points, but I often don't get the cut by one or two positions. So I have to go to the pre-qualifiers. At least you get so much practice.
How exactly did the changes on the ITF World Tennis Tour affect you?
I made 3 "normal" ATP points at the end of last year. Nevertheless, there were enough tournaments that you could qualify for without ranking. In the best case, you had three games in qualification and all you needed was one victory in the main competition to get an ATP point. I really liked this system. The changeover has made everything even more difficult because you first have to work your way up to the ATP ranking via the ITF ranking. To make matters worse, there are fewer tournaments overall.
Has the level at the ITF tournaments improved overall?
Anyone who is on the “futures” can now play tennis. A few years ago there were still a few players who practiced this more or less as a hobby. This has now become more professional.
I like sports as much as Domi
What do you want as a player in terms of tournament structure at this level?
I didn't understand exactly why it was changed at all. In my opinion, the system worked. If you look at the main field here in Porec, the top seeded player (Andrea Pellegrino) is listed at number 345 in the ATP world rankings. He had said that he would not get into an ATP challenger with the ranking and that is of course awesome. Then something is wrong with the system.
From time to time you are on the tour with your brother. But what about your own ambitions in tennis at the moment?
I regularly go to the training camp in Tenerife with my brother, then accompany him to the first tournaments of the year and train with him. This is actually the only time I am going abroad with him. Otherwise only at the ATP tournaments in Austria. I also want to play a lot myself and try to get ahead. Unfortunately the last tournaments were not so successful and I didn't play well either, but I definitely want to be a tennis player. I left school two years ago because the training and tournament schedule were no longer compatible. Obviously this will be a difficult road, but I will try my best to get to the top. Tennis is my dream. I like sport as much as Domi and that's why I prefer to be on the court myself rather than "only" accompanying my brother at the tournaments.
Is the name "Thiem" more of a burden or a door opener in professional tennis?
It has advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, of course it makes me incredibly proud to have such a successful brother on the tour, but then, of course, there is often too much connection with me. I like to talk about him and like to tell everyone how he is, what he does and how he plays. I can also switch it off on the court. I also don't want to rest on my name and I don't want to be compared to him. I am a person of my own and would like to see that I can bring something forward myself.
When you are on the pitch, certain parallels in the game technique cannot be hidden.
The backhand is of course recognized immediately (laughs). I have always played better with one hand, so I switched to it. Of course, the same supplier also allows conclusions to be drawn about my brother. I will probably have copied myself a lot unconsciously, but this is not a disadvantage as I can only learn from or one of the best.
A week in Porec then runs as follows: During the day on the square and in the evening on the computer or TV?
Not quite, because I train a lot here and also have some matches. Domi's matches in the USA are simply too late or in the middle of the night. I can't stay up there. I always look at the highlights the next day and of course we write regularly.
The backhand is recognized immediately
You mentioned earlier that there are fewer tournaments. There doesn't seem to be much going on in Austria either. How does that affect your tournament calendar?
There are a few tournaments that regularly belong to the ITF circuit. I will play them this season as well, because it is naturally pleasant to compete at home. However, I have to say that I don't really deal with the tournament landscape in Austria, because I also like to play abroad. Nevertheless, a higher number of such events would also be an advantage in Austria. After all, there are many Austrians at this level who play well but often cannot afford to travel financially. Sport is expensive and if you don't have the necessary resources, it makes things extremely difficult.
Do you have a plan B in case your tennis career doesn't work out?
Even if you don't become a top 100 player now, there are plenty of other options. I really enjoy tennis and I want to achieve something. That's why I haven't thought about it yet.
What are your next weeks on the tour like now?
I will go back to Austria after Porec, followed by a training week in Greece. Then I will probably continue to compete in the ITF tournaments.
Good luck and thank you for the interview.