'What Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic do...', says Grand Slam champion

Dominic Thiem did not start 2021 as he would have hoped, having been the victim of a depressive crisis which affected his performance on the pitch. The Austrian was unable to go beyond the round of 16 at Melbourne Park, where he had hoisted himself to the last act the year before (lost in five sets to Novak Djokovic). The negative moment of the ATP number 4 continued in Doha and Dubai, where two defeats were both premature and worrying. In fact, Nicolas Massu's pupil seemed drained and unmotivated, as well as far from the best physical shape. For all this series of reasons, the winner of the US Open 2020 has decided to take a break by also giving up the first Masters 1000 on clay in Monte Carlo. In a long interview granted to 'El Pais' on the eve of the Mutua Madrid Open, Thiem claimed to count Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic among the best athletes of all times, thanks to their incredible longevity at the highest levels. At Flushing Meadows last year, Dominic became the first tennis player born in the 1990s to be awarded a Major.

Thiem pays tribute to the Big 3

"Of course (he realizes the difficulty of winning 20 Slams), but I knew before that it was a huge achievement to do what Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic do," Dominic Thiem said. "Even winning one is a very difficult thing that not many players achieve. Therefore, the three of them are three of the best athletes of all time." Dominic Thiem is an ardent fan of London club Chelsea FC, and during the interview he was asked if he had been following football during the pandemic. "I'm still passionate about it, but the truth is that I have lost a bit with the pandemic," Thiem said. "It is not fun at all to watch the games without an audience in the stadiums. In the first leg of the semifinals between Real Madrid and Chelsea...normally it would be a joy to see a game like this, with the crowd cheering, but this time they played at the Real Madrid B stadium or something like that. A small stadium, without an audience. It was no fun watching." Dominic Thiem then went on to speak about Benoit Paire’s recent spree of controversies. "No, I don't understand. If you don't want to play, you stay at home," Dominic Thiem said. "If you are not motivated, nobody forces you to play. I think what I did is better: I took some time, canceled my participation in three or four tournaments, and at some point the motivation returns."

 

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3h3Odjw