Dominic Thiem identifies where he needs to improve to rival Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

ATP Tour
Dominic Thiem with China Open trophy

Dominic Thiem believes he needs to improve his net game if he is to rival Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the top of the ATP rankings.

The Austrian has had a fine season, reaching his second successive French Open final and his first ever Masters-level title.

He has also won titles in Barcelona, Kitzbuhel, Beijing and Vienna, meaning no player has won more tournaments than Thiem in 2019.

However, speaking to atptour.com, he has identified areas that must improve for him to take the next step in his career.

“It has been a great season, but I still had some parts of the calendar where I couldn’t play well,” Thiem said.

“In three of four Grand Slams I lost in the first or second round, that is not so good.

“I will try to improve this next year. I would also love to improve my net game a lot, finish the points faster with good volleys.”

Thiem’s success this season has coincided with him appointing a new coach, Nicolas Massu, in February, and he is keen to credit the Chilean with the positive impact he has had on his game.

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“For now it has been the best season of my career. It’s amazing working with him,” Thiem said of Massu.

“He has really made great changes in my game, great additions. It somehow made my game more unpredictable.

“We improved the game on the net together, my serve. We improved my game on fast surfaces.”

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Dominic Thiem

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