Nicholas Massu on Dominic Thiem's Indian Wells victory: "laid the foundation"
Nicholas Massu has been on tour with Dominic Thiem for almost a year. Now the Chilean looks back on the first year of cooperation in an interview with ATP.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Mar 20, 2020, 07:36 am
It was a tailor-made start that Nicholas Massu and Dominic Thiem made. The Austrian had previously ended the long-term cooperation with Günter Bresnik : "He is now the man in the team, otherwise it was always a bit the Günter", father Wolfgang should say about the decision. When Nicholas Massu took over as coach, Thiem was struggling through a difficult phase: second rounds at the Australian Open, bitter semi-final defeat at the ATP-250 event in Buenos Aires and a disappointing performance in Rio de Janeiro than in round one against Laslo Djere was the final stop. In short: in 2019 things were not going well for the Austrian.
The expectations of the Austrian at the first ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells were correspondingly low: So far, Thiem had only had a quarter-finals in California and was not (yet) one of the players on Hartplatz who was good for the really big ones Titles are. But then Nicholas Massu came - and everything else. The training with the Chilean started right after the elimination against Laslo Djere on the Brazilian coast. "We were on a fast course and practiced there in the very hot heat for almost seven days in Brazil. Then we traveled to Indian Wells, where we had a kind of two-week pre-season. He had had several problems in Australia and he lacked a little Fitness. All these hours of work were essential ", the former number nine in the world looks back at the beginning.
Indian Wells as turning points for Thiem
When they arrived in Indian Wells, Dominic Thiem presented himself as a replacement. In his first three matches, the Austrian did not show any nakedness and moved on to the quarter-finals without losing a set, in which he benefited from a task by Gael Monfils. Perhaps the match that was to follow in the final round was one of those matches that could be a sticking point in a tournament, a season, yes, maybe even a career. But it was definitely a competitive, close match that the audience in the USA got to see. Dominic Thiem against fear opponent Milos Raonic - there had been this match-up twice before, the Austrian had not succeeded in winning the set in these two clashes.
But it was this changed Thiem who was on the pitch in Indian Wells in 2019, the changed Thiem who won the three-set thriller against Milos Raonic, the changed Thiem who also got ready in the finale that Roger Federer contested the title do. And as in the semifinals, it was an extremely tough fight - again with a better end for the Austrian. A moment that Nicholas Massu also fondly remembers: " Winning the last point against Roger in the final was the most exciting moment, it was to seal a very important title, his first in an ATP Masters 1000 and after such a short time of cooperation, " recalls the Chilean.
Thiem with progress on fast courts
Today Massu speaks of a cornerstone that the tournament in Indian Wells laid for the joint work: "There was progress on the fast courts, that was the reason why he brought me in," said Massu. In any case, it was a cornerstone for a highly successful season for the Austrian, more precisely, his most successful season ever. Indian Wells was followed by the victory in Barcelona, the new finals at the French Open, the emotional home victories in Kitzbühel and Vienna. The 26-year-old was also able to triumph surprisingly in Beijing and almost put the crown on the season at the Nitto ATP finals, beating Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, but in the final, Lichtenwörther Stefanos Tsitsipas had to admit defeat.
All of these successes for which Nicholas Massu is by no means irresponsible: "I have seen many important situations alongside Dominic, which I evaluate in the same way. From tournament victories to victories in Grand Slam semi-finals. All of these victories have me conveyed very similar feelings. I enjoyed them because they are the result of many hours of work, " Massu told ATP. In 2020, the return to the place where the collaboration started was known to have few positive moments - the tournament in Indian Wells was canceled due to the rampant corona virus . But that also means that Dominic Thiem, under the aegis of Nicholas Massu, will start the title defense mission in 2021.