Dominic Thiem

[Art]

[Kamileki]

[Art]

[Damian]

Thiem On ‘A Bad Day’ Against Dimitrov: ‘I Am Not A Machine’

Spoiler:

Austrian upset by Dimitrov in fourth round
After going down two sets to love against Nick Kyrgios on Friday, World No. 3 Dominic Thiem dug deep to outlast the Aussie in nearly three-and-a-half hours to reach the fourth round.
Finding himself in a familiar position in his next match against No. 18 seed Grigor Dimitrov, who raced out to a 6-4, 6-4 lead, Thiem was not able to find another level as his opponent needed just 21 minutes to reel off the next six games and seal the Austrian's exit in straight sets.
The reigning US Open champion, who reached the final here last year, was candid in his post-match press conference about not feeling “100 per cent” in his fourth-round defeat. But Thiem was also quick to give credit to his opponent Dimitrov, former World No.3 and 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion, in a performance that left little room for a comeback.
You May Also Like: Dimitrov Upsets Thiem At Australian Open
“He's one of the best players on tour. If he's on, he's super tough to play, especially in faster conditions than now,” Thiem said. “I really wish that he can make a great breakthrough at a Grand Slam. He would definitely deserve it.
“I was not on a hundred per cent today, and it doesn't matter if it's Grigor or anybody else, they are just way too good [for me to] them if I'm not 100 per cent.”
Coming into the match against Dimitrov, Thiem trailed 2-3 in their ATP Head2Head series, with the Bulgarian claiming victories in their past two matches in the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals title match and at the 2019 Rolex Paris Masters.

Third-seeded Thiem was quick to brush off excuses on what he described as a ‘really, really bad day’, but admitted that ‘little physical issues’ contributed to his earliest Grand Slam exit since the 2019 US Open (first round).
“Really, I think a combination of some things, some little physical issues, plus a real bad day, plus the fact that, well, [Grigor] is a great player,” Thiem explained.
“I don't want to find any excuses. But the thing also is that I'm also not a machine. I mean, sometimes I would like to be, but there are really, really bad days. As soon as you're not a hundred per cent there on the court on this level, then results like this come up, and that's exactly what happened today.”
Thiem exited Melbourne with a 4-2 record on the season so far. The World No.3 claimed one victory in two matches at the ATP Cup representing Austria before the Australian Open. Dimitrov advanced to his fourth quarter-final in Melbourne, where he will face Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/thiem-a ... y-reaction

[Damian]

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

Nadal, Thiem Nominated For Laureus Awards

Spoiler:

Nadal won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award in 2011
Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem are nominees in the 2021 Laureus World Sports Awards, the organisation announced Wednesday.

Nadal is one of six nominees for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award, joining Joshua Cheptegei, Armand Duplantis, Lewis Hamilton, LeBron James and Roberto Lewandowski. The Spanish superstar won the prestigious award in 2011. He has been nominated on four other occasions (2009, 2014, 2018, 2020).

“Thank you to everyone in the media for giving me this nomination. It was great to win my 13th @rolandgarros and my 20th Grand Slam in 2020,” Nadal tweeted. “May the best one win, but thanks anyhow for this nomination. Always an honour.”


In 2020, Nadal claimed a record-extending 13th Roland Garros title. The victory put him in a tie with Roger Federer for the most Grand Slam singles championships in history with 20.

Thiem, who reached a career-high No. 3 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in 2020, was nominated for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award alongside Ansu Fati, Patrick Mahomes, Joan Mir, Tadej Pogacar and Iga Swiatek. The Austrian won his first Grand Slam title at last year’s US Open.

"Thank you @Laureussport for the nomination!" Thiem tweeted. "It was a dream come true to win my first Grand Slam title last year! Now seeing my name on the nominee's list together with so many great athletes is a true honour!"

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nadal-t ... ruary-2021

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Thiem: 'I Still Really Love To Watch Federer Play Tennis'

Spoiler:

Austrian is playing in his first tournament since the Australian Open

World No. 4 Dominic Thiem is looking forward to welcoming Roger Federer back to the ATP Tour this week at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

“We are rivals, and of course we want to beat each other in the tournament, [but] I still really love to watch him play tennis,” said Thiem, who is the top seed in Doha. “[He] looks so nice, the way he plays, the way he approaches the game of tennis.

“On the one hand, I'm also a big fan of his still, and that's why I really love that he's back and that I can watch him again. That's what pretty much everybody is thinking, and I hope that he's coming back strong, as well.”

The Austrian headlines the ATP 250 field in Doha alongside Federer, who is competing for the first time in more than 13 months after two right knee surgeries, and last week’s ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament champion Andrey Rublev.

You May Also Like: Back To His 'Second Family', Federer Resets Expectations
Thiem is competing for the first time since a fourth-round exit to Grigor Dimitrov at the Australian Open on 14 February. The 27-year-old will play Russia's Aslan Karatsev in the Doha second round.

“The [Doha] draw is unbelievably strong, so [you] never know what's [going to] happen, but I just try to have a good start and to be there on a good level from the very first point,” said Thiem, the 2018 Doha semi-finalist.

“It's going to be my first tournament and [my] first match [in almost] a month, since [a] pretty devastating loss at the Australian Open… I needed some time to digest everything, to analyse everything [and] to settle down a little bit.

“Now it's time to focus on new things. The tournament in Doha is the first chance to play better again, to get good results, to get confidence and to forget [a] pretty tough start of the season.”

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[Kamileki]

Dominic In Doha: World No. 4 Thiem is the top seed, and he’s in the hunt for his 18th ATP Tour title – and the first of the year – in Doha. The US Open champion will meet Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev or local wild card Mubarak Shannan Zayid in his first match.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/doha-ma ... ing-report

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

[Art]

[Damian]

Thiem Battles Past Karatsev In Doha

Spoiler:

Austrian star to meet 2019 champion Bautista Agut
Top seed Dominic Thiem withstood the challenge of Russian wild card Aslan Karatsev on Wednesday in a comeback victory at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. The World No. 4 bounced back from last month’s Australian Open fourth-round exit by beating Karatsev 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 56 minutes.

“We played in juniors 10 or 11 years ago, and we also practised in Vienna, so he wasn’t completely new to me,” said Thiem, who hit nine aces and won 83 per cent of his first-service points against Karatsev. “But he has raised his level so much in the past six months, especially last month in Australia.

"I was up in the tie-break and then I lost it, which was not nice, but he helped me a little bit in that first game [of the second set]. I think he hit two double faults. After you lose a close set, it's super important to have a good start in the next one. And that's what I had. It was pretty fast, 3-0, and so I was positive again in my mind. I also loosened up a little bit and started to play better."

Thiem will next face 2019 champion and fifth seed Roberto Bautista of Spain. One break of serve in each set was enough for Bautista Agut to beat Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik, this season’s Antalya Open and Singapore Tennis Open finalist, 6-4, 6-3 in 70 minutes. The Spaniard won 32 of 37 first-service points to advance to the quarter-finals.

How To Watch

In a high quality first set, which didn’t feature a break point en route to the tie-break, Thiem struggled to return Karatsev’s serve, but opened up a 5/2 advantage in the tie-break. Karatsev responded, winning the next five points to clinch the 52-minute opener, which ended with a Thiem backhand error.

Thiem regrouped in the second set, with Karatsev paying the price for two double faults in the second game. Thiem varied his groundstroke length and service pace to take a 3-0 lead and carried the momentum by breaking Karatsev’s serve once more in the first game of the decider.

Last month, Karatsev became the first player in the Open Era (since April 1968) to reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam championship on his main draw debut. The 27-year-old rose from No. 114 to No. 42 in the FedEx ATP Rankings after his performances in Melbourne. He also helped Russia capture the ATP Cup crown (d. Italy).


Defending champion Andrey Rublev, the third seed from Russia, advanced to the Doha quarter-finals without hitting a ball after his opponent, France’s Richard Gasquet, the 2013 Doha titlist, withdrew ahead of their match due to a leg injury.

In the quarter-finals, Rublev will contest a rematch of last week’s ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament final against Marton Fucsovics. The Hungarian rallied from a set down to beat Lloyd Harris 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 in two hours and 10 minutes.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/thiem-k ... -wednesday

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

Thiem Time: World No. 4 Thiem will try to win his first ATP Tour title of the season. This will be the Austrian’s second appearance in Dubai, where he competed in 2015. The top seed has lifted 17 tour-level titles, five of which have come at an ATP 500. Thiem will play a qualifier or lucky loser in his opener.

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[Damian]

[Bombardiero]