2
The Biofile: Dominic Thiem Interview
23 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Articles, Scoop
Status: ATP #79.
Age: 20
From: Austria
Tennis Inspiration: I have many players. I didn’t have one big idol. I really enjoyed watching tennis and liked very many players of the last decade. (Name three?) Federer. Ferrero. And Roddick.
First Tennis Memory: My parents are both tennis coaches and also played for themselves, so they took me always to the court. That’s my first memory, nothing special.
First Famous Player You Met Or Encountered: Stefan Koubek from Austria. In Vienna. We had the same coach.
Last Book Read: Inferno by Dan Brown.
Pre-Match Feeling: I try to think not about the match. Otherwise I get nervous. So I try to think about anything else but the match.
Current Car: I drive a BMW (black).
Greatest Sports Moment: I think was the first win in Grand Slam main draw in Australia. This year (vs. Souza).
Most Painful Moment: Maybe the lost final in the French Open juniors (2011 to Bjorn Fratangelo).
Strangest Match: Well I played in Morocco Future once and it was like minus degrees and raining. And the water was already on the court. But we still played because they couldn’t postpone it because it was already Sunday night. So yeah, so that was probably most strange moment. (Win?) It was a doubles match and I lost.
Favorite Tournaments: I like my home tournaments in Kitzbuhel and Vienna.
Three Athletes You Like To Watch And Follow: I like to watch Ronaldo. Eden Hazard from Chelsea. And I like Steve Nash in the NBA.
Closest ATP Friends: Gulbis.
Funniest Players Encountered: Also Gulbis [laughs]. I think he’s by far the top.
Favorite Sport Outside Tennis: Soccer.
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Sracciatella. It’s vanilla with pieces of chocolate.”
Why Do You Love Playing Tennis: Because it’s one of the few sports where it’s one against one. And you don’t need anything from outside to win. You just need to be better than your opponent on this day. You are not depending on anything, you just need to be better on this day. And that’s why I love the sport.
Funny Tennis Memory: I will say I smile when Gulbis smashes a racquet. Because I know him well. I know him since three years very well. And he’s like quite different off of the court and on the court. So I enjoy to watch his matches. (How would you describe the difference of Gulbis on and off court?) Off the court he’s a really nice guy. He’s a very intelligent guy. And on the court he seems like sometimes he’s a little bit of an asshole…and so probably some people think that he’s also out of the court. But that’s not true. He’s one of the nicest guys that I’ve ever met. I think it’s really funny to watch him and characters like him I think the sport needs.”
Embarrassing Tennis Memory: A lot of them. I don’t know one special moment. Sometimes it’s very embarrassing [smiles].
People Qualities Most Admired: I like if people are friendly. If they are loyal. And if they are not arrogant. I think the most important thing is to be nice and to be friendly.
"Tennis needs characters like Gulbis"
Abe Froman · April 2, 2014 at 10:40 am
seems like a nice kid….a lot of potential and just glad he’s got a 1-hander….let’s hope he doesnt flame out but progressively improve..
Scoop Malinowski · April 2, 2014 at 10:55 am
Thiem has the game and the intangible qualities you look for in a young player – maturity, poise, athleticism, speed, weapons. I was really impressed how he almost beat top fifteener Robredo in Miami and how he handled top 45 Rosol in Miami. He’s training constantly with a great player in Gulbis. I like his head and how he handles it all. Edberg says he just needs to improve his touch and feel a bit.
loreley · April 2, 2014 at 11:19 am
Thank you, Scoop. Everyone was waiting for that 😉
Amanda · April 2, 2014 at 12:48 pm
Great interview – thanks! Looking forward to seeing Thiem make some noise at the slams now that he is in the main draw without playing qualies!
Scoop Malinowski · April 2, 2014 at 3:09 pm
My pleasure to serve our avid tennis-prose.com readers 🙂 With special thanks to Doogie who first tipped us off about Thiem last year.
Pete · April 2, 2014 at 8:05 pm
Great answer from the young Austrian when asked why he likes playing tennis. This is what I try to teach as a tennis coach.
loreley · April 3, 2014 at 8:01 am
There are so many interviews with Dominic Thiem right now. He’ll play Davis Cup this week. I want to share this:
“In Acapulco Bresnik told me that I should go to the city to experience real life. There are slums right next to luxury hotels. Vis-à-vis the tennis stadium, a spectator was shot last year. Even while the city tour with the taxi I felt uncomfortable.
While pre-season practise in Tenerife Ernests Gulbis offered Sepp Resnik (Dominic’s special fitness coach) 100 euros, if he dares to jump into a duck pond. Of course Sepp did it and scared all the ducks. The management of the hotel was not amused.”
via http://kurier.at/sport/sportmix/thiem-ziel-muss-immer-die-nummer-1-sein/58.229.611
bjk · April 3, 2014 at 9:16 am
Interesting interview. Looks like he switched from a 2-hander to a 1-hander after his coach told him that he had no chance to move up. That seems strange. And his parents had to sell their house to support his career.
loreley · April 3, 2014 at 9:39 am
It was not a house, it was an appartment. In another interview he said it was his grandpa who sold an appartment in order to help him.
It takes money to become a tennis pro, that’s nothing new. Thiem didn’t get financial support from Austrian tennis federation. That’s why he didn’t play DC for them last time. It seems they have fixed that finally.
Dan Markowitz · April 3, 2014 at 12:05 pm
That’s shocking the Austrian Tennis Fed wouldn’t support Thiem. Who else are they putting their money in?
Geez, do you think the Swiss will beat Khazakistan at home this weekend in Davis Cup. Besides, Germany/France which I don’t expect the Germans to contest in either, give me the DCup match that compels you this round?
Abe Froman · April 3, 2014 at 12:12 pm
italia / GB could be tight..
Scoop Malinowski · April 3, 2014 at 1:04 pm
Bjorkman was another player not taken care of by the Swedish federation. Kuerten also had trouble getting sponsors for his early ATP days, he told me about one investor who backed out because he thought Guga was just too skinny. Then a year later Guga won the French Open. Sometimes it’s a good motivator to be underestimated and then come back and prove em wrong. You have to really like the whole Thiem progression, everyone loves the underdog outsider. Especially in tennis. I think it’s actually better to come up that way than being the golden boy great hope with all the pressure and expectations.
loreley · April 3, 2014 at 1:15 pm
Italia/Great Britain for sure. Just that Murray got that stomach bug now too. He couldn’t attend the draw ceremony, but wants to try to play tomorrow.
I was surprised to hear that about Thiem as well. There was a big discussion in Austrian media last year already. The federation even tried to make Thiem & Bresnik look bad. Austrian federation offered him financial support (reactive), but only if he plays Davis Cup for the rest of his career.
Doogie · April 3, 2014 at 5:46 pm
Thx Scoop!!! Nice interview – it has to be said that Thiem is really a nice and funny guy and he stayed on earth (he is not arrogant and I believe he never will).
How could Thiem to afford financially to become a pro??
The answer is simple (and shocking):
Bresnik gets a lot (and when I say a lot I mean a lot) of his prize money!!!!
So Bresnik did practice with him for more a less free BUT Thiem had to sign a contract he will regret in the future.
Anyway we are happy that we have a player like him and our tennis federation is as shit as the USTA :((
loreley · April 4, 2014 at 2:31 am
@Doogie
Where did you hear about the contract between Thiem & Bresnik?
Scoop Malinowski · April 4, 2014 at 9:33 am
I would think Mr. Gulbis would be generous enough to help Thiem, no?
Doogie · April 4, 2014 at 10:01 am
Thiem is practicing with Bresnik since age 12th. Gulbis did not even know at this time who Bresnik is.
Gulbis is in Vienna since 2 years.
Thiem over 8 years with Bresnik.
Doogie · April 4, 2014 at 10:16 am
@scoop
U have to sell a lot of Federer books to be able to paythe money the best German speaking coach over 8 years 🙂
Tennis is a great business and noone gifts u a penny.
loreley · April 4, 2014 at 10:30 am
That isn’t what I asked you, Doogie.
I know that Bresnik works with Thiem since Dominic was a kid. That doesn’t mean that he owns him 😉
Thiem seems to go down in 4 sets against a guy named Gombos. I never heard of him. The fast surface levels tennis. Who gets the first break, gets the set. Dominic sensed it:
“Gombos is playing very well on that surface here. Serves very good, fast strokes from both wings. Very dangerous player.”
Dan Markowitz · April 4, 2014 at 12:32 pm
Have to admit, I was wrong, Davis Cup round is very exciting. Who’d have thought Golubev and Kamke would knock off Wawa and Benny on their home courts! And now the German Peter Gojowczyk has evened his match against Tsonga.
Astonishing.
Abe Froman · April 4, 2014 at 12:53 pm
@ scoop, depends on if mr. gulbis is the generous-type millionaire or a penny-pinching one….i would think the latter…LOL
loreley · April 4, 2014 at 1:52 pm
Ernests Gulbis isn’t millionaire, so I guess you guys are talking about his father.
Abe Froman · April 4, 2014 at 2:35 pm
@ loreley…..yep, that’s mr. gulbis the official richest man in latvia…..little ernie might have a few bucks hidden too ! LOL