Wolfgang Thiem - "The Orange Bowl title was extremely important for Dominic"
Coach father Wolfgang Thiem in a big tennisnet interview about the importance of the Orange Bowl, the Austrian tennis offspring and the effects of the corona crisis on his son Dominic and the tennis enthusiastic youth.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Dec 10, 2020, 06:04 pm
tennisnet : Mr. Thiem. This week, Florida traditionally hosts the Orange Bowl. What significance does this event have in the field of youth tennis?
Thiem : The Orange Bowl is certainly one of the most important youth tournaments, alongside the Les Petits As in Tarbes in the U14 area and a few U16 events that attract players worldwide. But I would equate a win at the Orange Bowl with a win at a Grand Slam tournament. With regard to the status, including the interest of sponsors, the Grand Slams are perhaps higher up.
tennisnet : Your son Dominic won the title nine years ago. How did that affect his career?
Thiem : It was extremely important for Dominic to win the Orange Bowl in 2011. Because this tournament is so important and prestigious. And if you look at the list of winners, from Federer to Roddick to today, you can see that the majority of the top players also competed there. The Eddie Herr Tournament, which was not held this year, is also steeped in tradition. Dominic won there too, initially as a younger generation. And then the Orange Bowl.
tennisnet : Marko Andrejic leads the Austrian youth rankings. You are known to take care of him too. Where is he now?
"Only the best play at the Orange Bowl"
Thiem : Marko is fully integrated into our team. We decided to support him and we will do that too. I am basically satisfied with his development, even if this year was difficult. Unfortunately there were only a few tournaments. Marko was there in Australia and participated in the preparation. This is not possible this year because there will be no junior competition in Australia in 2021. Marko is currently around 40 in the ITF world rankings, so he can play the big tournaments.
tennisnet : In Florida, the end came in round one.
Thiem : At the Orange Bowl you only meet the best. Marko came up against a Frenchman, we know they can all play tennis. It was a close game, he had his chances, unfortunately he lost the first set in the tie-break. It's simply how it is. Marko is not right up there. There are a couple of 2003s that are very far, such as a Casper Rune that recently won a future in Antalya.
tennisnet : Another Austrian, Lukas Neumayer, reached the quarter-finals of the Juniors in Roland Garros this year and entered the Orange Bowl in third place. But also lost his first match. Where do you see him
Thiem : Neumayer played well in the summer, also in the Generali Austrian Pro Series. There he beat Jürgen Melzer. It is definitely important that we were represented by two players again. That must be the claim of the Austrian Tennis Association, also in the Grand Slam tournaments.
tennisnet : What task does the association have when it comes to the Orange Bowl? Is there any support? And: Would you rather send a child with a carer or the parents?
Thiem : There were always posts by the ÖTV. The trip to the Orange Bowl was sponsored. This year it was different. Basically, caregivers rather than parents should come along. Unless the parents are tennis coaches themselves. The trip is two or three weeks long, so you have to prepare on site. If you play a tournament in a neighboring country, you go there, play a match, and if you lose, you go straight back home. If you win, there will be another match the next day. So it doesn't matter if grandma goes there with the child.
tennisnet : What about the next generation of young players in Austria?
Thiem : We have talent in Austria, no question about it. I see very good prospects with the 2005 boys at the academy, for example with Manuel Lazic. I also see Patrick Jozwicki relatively far ahead, also internationally. These are candidates who can play two in the Orange Bowl. Paul Werren, born in 2004, also performed well.
"For the masses the lockdown is a disaster"
tennisnet : What would you consider to be the basic play requirement to really travel to the Orange Bowl?
Thiem : In Europe you should be able to play at the top in the U14 and U16 areas. It's a huge experience whether you win a round or not. But you should already have the level of being able to act at eye level. It's not like getting to the semi-finals, finals or even winning the Orange Bowl is always going to be a steep climb. With the U18, the field regulates itself anyway, because then you have to have an ITF ranking at the latest.
tennisnet : In Cologne, court builder Andreas Kemmerer recently raved about her surface in the academy in Traiskirchen, which his company had relocated. Do you already have some initial experience?
Thiem : We are super satisfied with the floor. It is in three layers and the damping almost comes close to a sand place. That was very important to me, especially when it comes to professionals. That we can work gently with Dominic, for example.
tennisnet : Where do you see the effects of the lockdown, especially the ban on playing tennis in the hall, for Austrian tennis?
Thiem : Fortunately, we were almost spared because we are allowed to train here in Traiskirchen. Not just the professionals, but also the youngsters who are all in this corridor that makes it possible for them. For the masses, of course, the situation is a catastrophe. In the case of children who are not ready and have not yet played tournaments, this could of course lead to the thread breaking off completely. And that we then lose these children for our sport. That's too bad. In the professional area, as mentioned, we got away quite unscathed in terms of training, in the tournaments it is of course completely different. That's a catastrophe.
tennisnet : What can you tell us about Dominic's current training plans?
Thiem : Dominic is starting to train these days, initially for a week or two with Dr. Mike Reinprecht on his condition, working the basics. We will increasingly start playing tennis in the last week of December. Since we do not yet know exactly when, where and how exactly it will continue, planning is difficult. If it is Australia at the beginning of February, we will have plenty of time to plan.
tennisnet : In recent years, Dominic has often prepared on Tenerife, with international participation, for example from David Goffin or Jan-Lennard Struff. What about training partners this year?
Thiem : We are very well positioned with Dominic, Dennis Novak, Sebastian Ofner and Jurij Rodionov. If it really goes to Australia, Dominic will have two more weeks to train with other players. We did it that way last year. And it has proven itself.