Dominic Thiem: «Roger Federer, but more great inspiration»

Dominic Thiem : “In terms of play, Roger Federer is my biggest inspiration, especially with the one-handed backhand. In the Big 3, it is the only one. So I tried to copy it, of course. And then when I started watching tennis when I was 7 or 8, he was number one. It’s the first one I watched and it’s been a huge inspiration from the start.

When I first trained with him I was so nervous … In our first game in Brisbane in 2016 he slaughtered me (6-1, 6-4). It was not cool. But our common journey has been great. I beat him in Rome first (7-6, 6-4), then I beat him then in a grand final, in 2019, at Indian Wells (3-6, 6-3, 7-5). It was great. Just talking to him, spending time with a legend like Roger … these are fabulous experiences. We did a preparation on clay, in Switzerland. All of these memories have helped me during my career to become a better player and a better person. “