Thiem reflects on French Open final against Nadal: "It was a mistake to wait on the court"
Dominic Thiem on the strength of Rafael Nadal and his somewhat different training under coach Nicolas Massu.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Sep 22, 2019, 09:53 am
Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal in the Roland Garros 2019 final offered perhaps the most intense 30 minutes of tennis that could be admired on sand in the first half hour. Thiem kept up with the Spaniard compared to the previous year, even got the second set - and then broke in. Or in other words: Thiem dropped half a percent, Nadal not. 6: 3, 5: 7, 6: 1 and 6: 1 was the end of the bull from Manacor, who celebrated his twelfth title in Paris.
Was Thiem too tired after the five-set drama against Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, which was extended to two days? "No way," said Thiem in an interview in the current tennis MAGAZINE . "I also think that the topic of fatigue is overrated. You can overcome that in a Grand Slam final," continued the Lichtenwörther. Not even Federer has managed to defeat Djokovic and Nadal in just one tournament, said Thiem, and Nadal: has only lost two matches on Parisian brick flour.
Thiem on the Nadal break: "Should have gone out too"
Perhaps a crucial point: Nadal's time out of court before the start of the third movement. "The break after the second set was far too long. It was a mistake to wait on the court," Thiem may have made a mistake for his small drop in performance - which Nadal relentlessly exploited and dashed off. "I should have gone out to freshen up too. He came back and didn't slack off an inch. I did a little."
Speaking of the clay court season: Thiem has now been on the road without mentor Günter Bresnik, and even if he is still working on the tournament schedule , a few things have already changed. "The training is different, a bit more opponent-oriented before the matches," said Thiem. "This is the first big difference. The intensity in daily training is higher." It was also important to him that Massu was also a professional and "can share his experience with me" - even against the "big three". Anyway, his entire life as an athlete is now different than in Bresnik times: "I have more freedom."