Tennis
The in-form world number five has his say on two tennis titans, new male Grand Slam champions in 2020, why winning in Vienna would be a dream and Red Bull Salzburg's Champions League antics.
Austrian tennis star Dominic Thiem has enjoyed the best season of his tennis career so far and is now looking to win the Erste Bank Open for the first time this week.
With this being his 10th assault on the title in the Austrian capital, Vienna, we served up 10 questions for the 26-year-old to answer before he gets his campaign underway. This is what we discovered.
1. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal would make great coaches
"The Laver Cup was a unique event and the chemistry in the whole team was unbelievable," recalled Thiem. "Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal would probably make the best coaches, because they have such a big knowledge of tennis. It's insane. They also coached me when I was playing, they always came in the breaks to give advice. Of course, they would make great coaches, but who knows if they want to do it."
Thiem teamed up with the two legends of the game to help Europe win the Laver Cup in September. The duo have 39 Grand Slam titles between them and after witnessing it first-hand, Thiem is in no doubt a future career in coaching would be a success when they hang their rackets up.
2. Big changes could be on the horizon in 2020
"If you ask me now, I think there will be, yes. The big three still took the slams this year, but I think next year will be the year where there's a big change. I hope one or two Grand Slams will be won by the young players," Thiem explained.
Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic have shared all the Grand Slam titles since 2016. Thiem, twice a French Open runner-up to Nadal, thinks the big three's dominance could soon be over, though, and tennis could have a new Grand Slam champion in the next 12 months.
3. Daniil Medvedev is at the top for good
"I'm impressed with Daniil Medvedev's form, but we players could see it coming," cofirmed Thiem. "He's a great player, he has a lot of confidence and will be up there for the next decade I would say."
Russian Daniil Medvedev has been taking the tennis tour by storm in recent months, reaching the US Open final and winning tournaments in impressive fashion. Thiem thinks the 23-year-old is here to stay.
4. Finding form in Asia was fun
"It was probably the second biggest victory in my career, so it gives me lots of confidence. It was also the first time I've played very well in Asia," he said of his China Open victory.
The Wiener Neustadt native is back competing in Europe after a fruitful Asian swing, which included the 15th ATP title of his career at the China Open in Beijing.
5. There's more to come on hard courts
"My two biggest career titles have both come on a hard court. My game has definitely got way better on this surface. I still have to improve a lot on the faster hard courts, but in general, I think my game is going in the right direction," Said Thiem of his game.
With the Beijing and Indian Wells titles, Thiem has landed two major trophies on hard courts in 2019, alongside two on clay. While the dirt is still his favourite surface, where he's reached two Grand Slam finals, a 'clay-courter' tag is a thing of the past.
6. A Kitzbühel and Vienna double would be a dream
"In winning Kitzbühel, I made one childhood dream come true. That was one of the best experiences I've had in my career so far. Unbelievable emotions," recalled Thiem. "It's one of the biggest goals I have in my tennis career to get the trophy here in Vienna as well."
Despite being just 26, this is the 10th year Thiem will contest for the title in front of his home fans in Austria's capital city. The trophy has so far eluded him, something which is very much front and centre of his career ambitions.
7. Winning in Vienna is no easy feat
"The player field is so strong. Not only the first four players, but the whole field of 32," Thiem confirmed. "When it comes to the deeper stages at these tournaments, it's very tough."
The Erste Bank Open draw features some of world's top players. Thiem has reached the quarter-finals twice since making his debut in 2010 and knows he needs to be at his best to be in with a shout of the title.
8. London is calling in November
"It's always a big honour and it's a big personal goal at the beginning of every season to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals," Thiem said. "The last three years I've always managed to win one match, which was great, but I want more this year and would love to qualify for the semi-finals."
In confirming that he's consistently one of the top players in the world, Thiem has now qualified for the ATP Word Tour Finals in London, England for the fourth straight year.
9. Who needs a third set?
"I think there are some things which would be good to change. One is that I would change at some smaller tournaments the third set into a match tie-break," he said of the game.
Rule changes are often a hot topic in tennis. If the Austrian could make one change and one change only, it would be to the scoring format at certain tournaments.
10. Red Bull Salzburg have impressed him in Europe
"It's always a big highlight to watch the Champions League on a Tuesday or Wednesday night. It doesn't matter where I am in the world," Thiem said of his football fandom. "Of course, I'm impressed at what Red Bull Salzburg are building each year and now they have amazing players again and I hope their journey goes far this year."
Thiem is a passionate football fan and even owns his own club, TFC Matzendorf. While tennis is the day job, a football match on screen is never far away.
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