Dominic Thiem wants to end the nightmare that he has lived in this first part of the 2021 season due to injuries and the bad results reaped. In an interview with the Austrian outlet Der Standard, Thiem confessed about how he is coping with this difficult period.
Thiem opened up about his knee discomfort, and hopes to recover as soon as possible. “It is a congenital problem that sometimes appears in my knees. People know it now but it takes a few weeks to disappear. It already hurt in Australia, and even though it hurts a lot, it will go away “
The Austrian also justified his absence from the Belgrade tournament to avoid re-entering a negative dynamic of results. “When you fight for a goal, you drop everything for it and get it, everything changes. However, in tennis everything goes very fast, you don't have time to enjoy the victory, and if you are not 100%, you lose. This is what happened to me this year. There is a lot of level and the rivals are strong. It is best not to go to tournaments if you are not well. If he had played in Belgrade and lost in the first round, he would have entered that downward spiral. I'd rather be at home. “
Thiem also spoke about how the pandemic has affected him when it comes to playing and the reasons why he was outmatched at the Australian Open. “It is not the best situation, I always had everything planned, every week and every month. Now, with doubts about what will be played or not, everything changes. I feel a void when I compete in the middle of a pandemic. I have not seen any Monte Carlo game . The atmosphere in Australia was incredible but curfew came. I got to the locker room, sweating, and then the floor was empty. It looked like a nuclear alert. In the match against Dimitrov, now without an audience and with a lot of heat, I did not know how to handle the situation “.
Finally, the Austrian emphasized the roller coaster that he has experienced in just a few months after conquering the US Open and the hole he is trying to get out of. “When I won the US Open I was euphoric and afterwards the results continued to be good and I reached the final of the ATP Finals. But while preparing for this season, I fell into a hole that we will see if I can get out of. I don't know yet, but I hope so “.