Tennis
5 things Dominic Thiem is saying about his Grand Slam goals for 2019
With Dominic Thiem in action at the Australian Open as the first Grand Slam of the year gets under way, the Austrian tennis ace talks exclusively about his strategy for wins in 2019.
Dominic Thiem got to the French Open final at Roland Garros in 2018 but has yet to progress beyond Round 4 of the Australian Open, the stage he reached both in 2017 and 2018, with Frenchman Benoît Paire his first challenger to face in the Margaret Court Arena in 2019.
But what’s Thiem saying about what might be the year he seals that maiden Grand Slam title? Read on to find out.
1. The key to going beyond Round 4 in Australia for the first time will be taking it all seriously
Dominic Thiem working hard in the gym
© Jürgen Skarwan/Red Bull Content Pool
That’s the secret of the big players
“If you think about the fourth round before the first one, you’re probably out before the second. Of course, you look at the draw, but you quickly learn as a young player to focus on each round as it happens. That’s the secret of the big players – they take every match, every round and every opponent 100 percent seriously.”
2. He’s optimistic of challenging the ‘big three’ for Grand Slams in 2019
We’re not too far off
“[Rafael] Nadal, [Roger] Federer and [Novak] Djokovic are certainly three of the best tennis players of all time and they’re probably also three of the best overall athletes of the past 10 years. They’re really, really of outstanding calibre, but you see more and more often that we can challenge them. We’re not too far off.”
3. The French Open final in 2018 was a huge motivation
Thiem on the practice court
© Jürgen Skarwan/Red Bull Content Pool
You know that reaching the next step is a possibility
“When you reach the final, you know that reaching the next step is a possibility, but it took me a while to see that. At first, I thought more about the final I’d lost than [what had] brought me there. But that’s normal. If I want to improve, I also have to pay attention to what I can still improve rather than what I already achieved.”
4. He’s looking forward to being a team player as well in Austria's Davis Cup qualifying tie against Chile in February
It’ll be historic
“I’m looking forward to the home atmosphere and the days together with my team. It’ll be special to take part in the very first edition of such a traditional competition with your country, it’ll be historic.”
5. His five-set quarter-final US Open epic against Rafael Nadal proved he could compete with the best
Thiem takes a break from training
© Jürgen Skarwan/Red Bull Content Pool
That was a very, very important step in my progression
“The match against Nadal in New York was really important for me personally. I proved to myself that I could compete with the very best, even when they’re having a good day. That was a very, very important step in my progression.”
