'Never I have thought that I would even beat Roger Federer', says top player

Since the former Chilean tennis player Nicolas Massu joined Dominic Thiem's team at the beginning of last season, the results have immediately been seen: the Austrian immediately triumphed in Indian Wells, defeating none other than Roger Federer in the final. At Roland Garros he reached the final, a goal achieved also at the last Australian Open. Today, Dominic holds the third position of the ATP ranking and is one of the main favorites to break the almost undisputed domination of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. Thiem recently launched his new website, where he spoke in detail about his relationship with Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer.

Thiem on Roger Federer

"As a 16-year-old junior, I was able to train with Roger Federer for the first time at Wimbledon's Aorangi Park. In the beginning I was completely nervous, barely playing a ball over the net. After a few minutes, it was right again. Never in my life would I have thought that one day I would even beat Roger," said Dominic Thiem. "To be fair, he was far from completely fit in this quarterfinal," Dominic Thiem continued. "He had back problems, as we have seen. Still, it was a special day for me! My biggest win against him was in the Indian Wells final. Federer's star potential is huge worldwide, and even more gigantic in the US. People like him everywhere!" Thiem has formed a good bond with the world's highest-paid athlete, and he described Roger Federer's off-court behavior in very complimentary words. "Very, very funny and also completely relaxed," Thiem said about Federer. "In the locker room, in a really small circle, he's a very different person than on the court. Funny, open and he also loves little pranks." Second seed Dominic Thiem celebrated his 27th birthday with a commanding 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 victory over India's Sumit Nagal on Thursday, but it was a bizarre incident regarding a can of Red Bull that had fans perplexed. Austrian Thiem, seeking his maiden grand slam title, won an overwhelming 74 per cent of his first serve points and fired seven aces past the inexperienced Nagal, breaking him seven times in the two-hour contest. Thiem added: “Cincy was just a bad day from my side and that happens sometimes in tennis – the nice thing about this sport is we have a new opportunity every week. I just tried to relax and get fresh mentally and physically again and I was much better today. It was a good fight to get a rhythm and a good start in the tournament.”

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3jIkhay