The Austrian tennis player Dominic Thiem He appeared before the media at a press conference to analyze what his feelings are before his debut at the Australian Open 2021, a tournament where he hopes to give his best and be able to win his second major title of his tennis career.
The seed number three of the tournament has very good memories of this tournament last year, when he was on the verge of winning his first Grand Slam title, losing to Novak Djokovic in five contested sets: “I really wanted to play I already have this tournament. I have very good memories of last year. I had a fantastic tournament, coming very close to being able to win the title. I will always remember it. I want it to be Monday or Tuesday to go out on the track and give my best. prepared for the start of the tournament. “
Unlike on other occasions, Dominic Thiem comes to this Australian Open with very little rhythm in his legs, with three games and accumulating a baggage of one win and two losses: “It was a somewhat discreet preparation in terms of matches. If you analyze my results well, in the ATP Cup I added a loss to a player like Berrettini, who was probably playing his best tennis and who deserved the victory at all times. That defeat helped me to learn many things and know what mistakes I have to correct. facing this start of the tournament. Before Paire, unfortunately he had to retire and I barely had time to be on the court. I come to this Grand Slam start with a few minutes of competitive pace, so I will try to take advantage of these last two days of training to be ready for my debut. “
Many tennis players seem to be complaining about the existing conditions this year in Australia, something that Dominic himself acknowledges: “With all the tennis players that I have spoken in recent days they tell me that they see the surface much faster than last year. Me to be Honestly, I see it that way too. Besides, I also feel a bit more slippery. It’s probably better for other players than last year. “
The existing conditions this year are very complicated compared to last season, when at the 2020 Australian Open there was an audience in the stands or Roger Federer was in contention in the tournament: “This Australian Open is different from previous years. Everyone We come from a somewhat long quarantine, with hardly any public in the ATP Cup … Everything is being very different. In previous years, this Grand Slam was full of many people who came every tennis day and filled all the stadiums. About Roger Federer, we still have Djokovic and Nadal in the running. They are both big favorites for the title. All the fans are happy with Federer’s return in Doha, so this is probably one of the last weeks we won’t see him in a tournament. The absence of Federer makes one less strong opponent (laughs) “.
Thorn in last year’s final loss to Novak Djokovic
Again, the Austrian player spoke of the tournament played last year: “I don’t think much about previous tournaments, but the other day I was doing it. I remember I had a fantastic tournament, playing six games in an incredible way. I have to highlight the level that I showed in the matches against Nadal in the quarter-finals and against Zverev in the semi-finals. They were very good games. I also played well in the final against Djokovic, but for small details I ended up losing. It is very painful to lose a final playing at a good level. I want to forget myself of this and simply keep the positive things inside “.
Finally, Dominic Thiem expressed his desire to be able to play the Tokyo Olympic Games this year: “If I can play, I will. I changed my mind a bit about the Olympic Games when I saw them on television in 2016. See my friends Comrades fighting for the medals was incredible. This is probably one of my great goals, to get an Olympic medal for my country, either in Tokyo this year or in Paris in 2024, “he concluded.
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