Dominic Thiem: ‘I feel recharged. I’m ready again for everything’

Tennis News
Dominic Thiem shadow

He took a much-needed break after the euphoria of winning his maiden Grand Slam title “got to him a little bit”, but Dominic Thiem is ready to return to action at the Madrid Open.

After winning the US Open and finishing runner-up at the ATP Finals last year, Thiem was expected to carry that good form over to 2021 and challenge for titles again.

However, he lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open and then made early exits from Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships.

Struggling physically and mentally, the Austrian opted to take a break as he skipped the Miami Open, Monte-Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open.

‘Nobody forces you to play,’ says Dominic Thiem when asked about Benoit Paire’s conduct

“It had something to do with [winning] the US Open title,” Thiem explained. “Chasing a goal for such a long time and then finally achieving it, it took a lot out of my body and my head. With all the euphoria and everything, I was playing well the rest of last year. And then in Australia, it somehow got to me a little bit. I decided to take a little bit of time off to recover and make a small reset.

“I feel recharged. I was away from tennis for a while and away from everything, so I definitely recharged and I’m ready again for everything.”

He returns to action on Tuesday as he will face Marcos Giron in the second round of the ATP Masters 1000 event.

“The break was good and I also needed it but now it is time to be back,” the world No 4 said.

“I think Madrid is a great place for me. I only have good memories of this tournament. Conditions are amazing for my game and my results in the past have always been so good.

“I’m happy to be back here and hope I can play well.”

Follow us on Twitter @T365Official and like our Facebook page.

Dominic Thiem

Latest