Dominic Thiem spoke on Tuesday at a press conference in Schörfling am Attersee, where he and Sebastian Ofner, among others. informed about their season planning, announced the separation from his coach Benjamin Ebrahimzadeh. “Yes, I separated from Benny after Australia,” said Thiem. An agreement is close to being reached with a successor who will become a dedicated touring coach. Thiem didn’t want to name anyone yet, he just revealed that he wasn’t Austrian.
Thiem will now train more at home in Traiskirchen and Oberpullendorf with his father Wolfgang. He has changed his plan for the next few months and is returning to the Challenger Tour for a few tournaments. After the Davis Cup in Ireland this weekend, which, like Ofner, he is playing because of the ITF regulations in order to possibly be able to take part in the Olympics, Thiem will also take part in a long-promised exhibition tournament (UTS) in Oslo.
Then I’ll skip the trip to America this year and train for another two or three weeks. Then in March I will start with three challengers on sand: Szekesfehervar, Zadar and Napoli,” said Thiem, who was astonished. Only then will he decide what to do next. He has almost no points to defend until Monte Carlo. That’s why he wants to collect a lot of points from the Challengers mentioned. “Then I can soon move towards the top 70 or 60 and I can also plan better because the ranking where I am now is a difficult one. Every 250cc tournament is a thrilling event.”
Comment: Why Dominic Thiem has to make a wise decision now
He was simply missing the last percent and that’s why he decided to “come back home”. He doesn’t miss much. “I see this as my last chance. If I can do it, it can happen quickly.” When asked what the last chance statement means exactly, Thiem said: “I’ve been back for two years now since the injury and I finished 2022 at 100 or so and last year to 98. If I end the year at 100 again, I’ll have to consider whether the whole thing is still worth it.” His goal for this year is the top 50.
The decision to change coach came after the five-set defeat at the Australian Open. “For two years now I’ve been in ranking spheres that I don’t want to be in. Of course that puts a strain on me,” Thiem said when asked by APA. “There are a lot of things that come along that I haven’t known for years, like worrying about getting into the main competitions of tournaments for ages.”
However, the 2020 US Open winner and four-time major finalist rejects doomsayers online that he would only play for the money. “I never did it for the money either. I’m not a person who cares much about money. No matter how honest I am, I don’t really care about the whole topic. I’ve been chasing the feeling of actually playing tennis again in a match like I can for a long time. And how I demand the same from myself.”
No one is coming as a super coach
In any case, the new touring coach will not be a big name or even a super coach. “No, it won’t be such a sensation, definitely not. I want someone who also knows my path. “I became so successful in a certain way.” When asked about returning to Günter Bresnik, who had shaped him into a top player for a long time, Thiem quickly said no. “No. It will be someone who knows me as a player – since I was young, so to speak. I see this as the only chance to get the finishing touches.”
The final in Kitzbühel last year was a good week. “But the first rounds in Kitz were just about fighting, I somehow got over it, you have to be honest like that. “So I won’t have much success in the long term.” Things went better for him in the USA afterwards. “Then unfortunately the stomach issue got in the way.” Thiem finally gave the all-clear in this regard, everything is fine again with the stomach.
2024-01-30 14:33:00
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