Dominic Thiem hopes to reverse his difficult start to the 2021 season at the Dubai tournament, where he will be the first seed after the absences due to injury of Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal and where neither will Roger Federer and Andy Murray.
In this way, Thiem starts as a great favorite for the title, as happened in the US Open, where his options increased. after Djokovic was disqualified after hitting a linesman with a ball.
Thiem himself wanted to defend himself at the pre-tournament press conference from those who criticized him for that victory in a US Open in which Djokovic was disqualified and neither Nadal nor Federer attended. “Nobody knows if I would have won it or not, but hey, I have the title and that's what counts. Of course the Big Three is the Big Three but there was also a time before them and nobody wonders if those Grand titles Slam are worth more or less how is it being done now “
Despite criticism, Theim wanted to boast that his name will be written forever on the trophy and in the history of the tournament. “A Grand Slam title is always worth the same, so you don't need to think about it. After all, my name will be the trophy and always will be. It doesn't really matter who I beat and who was or wasn't there. “
Thiem was also asked about his challenge to win Roland Garros, where he lost in the 2018 and 2019 finals to Rafa Nadal. “I think that beating Nadal at Roland Garros is one of the hardest things to do in tennis and in the world of sport. I think I need everything to be perfect one day and the only way is to improve and keep working on all aspects of the game. Playing perfectly on clay is the only option. But I think that is not in my hands, it is in his, so we have to hope that Rafa does not have his day. I think we need to do a lot of work to have a chance. “