US Open champion Dominic Thiem recently announced a delay to his clay campaign on the Tour due to ‘not being ready’ but he is confident he can reach his peak in time for the next major.
The world No.4 will not be playing in the upcoming Monte Carlo Masters with the view that it only makes sense to return to the Tour ‘when you are 100 percent.’ The 27-year-old has experienced a mixed start to the season where he has won five out of nine matches played. His best run was at the Australian Open where he reached the fourth round before losing in straight sets to Grigor Dimitrov. More recently he suffered disappointment in the Middle East with a quarter-final loss to Roberto Bautista Agut in Doha and then he lost his opening match to Lloyd Harris in Dubai.
Following Dubai, Thiem opted to take time away from the sport in order to recover both mentally and physically. The Austrian has been troubled by a foot issue in recent months which causes intermittent pain. During a recent interview with Hitradio Ö3 Thiem revealed that he spent a total of 18 days without playing tennis. Something he believes was a blessing for the upcoming months.
“I just didn’t do anything, just got away from it all and watched very, very little tennis – just come up with completely new ideas,” he said.
“I think that’s the most important thing because if you take a break and then you still study results all the time or watch the tournament in Miami or whatever, I don’t think you can really get away from it, but it has to be done. Just don’t do anything for a week and don’t even think about tennis, don’t watch tennis and then at some point you’ll get hungry again.”
Like various other players, the decision to briefly step away from the sport was linked to the current conditions they are playing in due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Including being placed in tournaments bubbles they are not allowed to leave, limited interactions with fans and constant testing for the virus.
“All the bad things about travelling and the whole job are still there, and all the good things are just gone. That just makes it a little more exhausting than it was before,” he said.
The hope for Thiem is that he will be able to rediscover his hunger for success in time for the French Open, where he has come close to lifting the title on multiple occasions. He has reached the final in 2018 and 2019 before losing out to Rafael Nadal. Thiem has reached the quarter-finals or better at Roland Garros five times in a row and has won more matches there than any other Grand Slam so far in his career.
“I’m just not ready for Monte Carlo. The level is so high at the moment that it only makes sense to really start with 100 percent. So I decided to skip Monte Carlo and start in Belgrade,” Thiem explained about his plan for the coming weeks.
“The big goal is of course the French Open. And there I am convinced, if I work cleverly, that I will be in top form there, both physically and playfully.”
Thiem has won 17 ATP titles so far in her career. His next tournament in Belgrade is set to begin on April 19th.
