Nicolas Massu: "Would like Dominic Thiem to become number one in the world"
Nicolas Massu , Dominic Thiem's touring coach for over a year, spoke in an Instagram live from the Davis Cup about his protégé and Chilean tennis.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit:
Apr 27, 2020, 03:26 pm
Dominic Thiem and Nicolas Massu - this collaboration is bearing fruit. At the ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, the Austrian celebrated his greatest career success to date, at the French and Australian Open he then appeared in two Grand Slam finals - and most recently climbed into the top 3 of the World ranking. According to Coach Massu, it should go even further - more specifically to number one: "In my head it is to help him progress in the tennis field and to lead him to number one in the world", quoted the Spanish portal puntodebreak.com the Chileans.
The conditions for this are given by Dominic Thiem, the Austrian "one of the fittest players on the tour". According to Massu, Thiem works like a real champion, an attitude that his parents raised him to. "He is not only a good tennis player, but also a boy who is very popular on the tour and is made from the wood of a champion," enthuses the Chilean about his protégé. Nevertheless, there are still some things that can be improved at Thiem. A task that he naturally wants to take on as a trainer. "That is the mentality we have as a team," said Massu.
Double Olympic victory the greatest success
In addition to his engagement as the touring coach of Austria's number one, Nicolas Massu also holds the office of the Davis Cup boss from Chile. A very grateful task at the moment, since Chilean tennis is currently experiencing an enormous upswing: "I am very satisfied with the success of Chilean tennis, counting on top players like Nicolás Jarry or Cristian Garín," said Massu. Cristian Garin in particular was able to play big this season , already holds two titles in calendar year 2020 and was thus able to advance to 18th place in the world ranking - a new career high for the 23-year-old.
Previously, it was Nicolas Massu himself who was responsible for one of the major highlights for Chilean tennis in the recent past. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, the 40-year-old crowned himself double Olympic champion, triumphing both in singles and alongside Fernando Gonzalez. A success that he fondly remembers on Instagram with the Davis Cup: "When I won games, I started to believe in it and I felt very good on the pitch. When I got the two gold medals, the reception in Chile was incredible. People took to the streets to thank us for how well we did. " In his home country there are still many people who tell their children that he, Nicolas Massu, won two gold medals.