Dominic Thiem spoke in an extensive interview about pressure as a professional athlete and dealing with the media. In addition, the Austrian revealed what he had to work on in order to take the next step in the world rankings.
“Of course it’s a high pressure we have to deal with – but a good one. We are not playing for life and death, but for points, prize money and prestige. You’re responsible for what the pressure does to you. Of course there are difficult days, but the beautiful ones predominate,” Thiem said in an interview with Forbes.
Thanks to the good performances of the past years, the 25-year-old has established himself at the top of the world and increasingly played in the limelight. However, Thiem has no problems with the greater attention. “Nobody used to look at me; small tournaments, no spectators. Today many people are interested in my games. But that’s exactly where I wanted to go, so I wanted to be in public and play tennis so well that people are interested in me and I play the big tournaments,” he said.
Despite his first Grand Slam final last June in Paris, Thiem is currently ranked ninth – five places behind his previous career high. The Lower Austrian knows the puzzle piece that is still missing to be able to attack the top 3.
“I have to perform at the level I expect of myself on all surfaces and all year round,” he said. “So concretely: getting better on faster surfaces and in the hall. And keep the level of the first in the second half of the year. Learning this is a process that began for me at the age of eleven or twelve. This works relatively well, but it is also about the last constancy to remain aggressive even in difficult situations. Then it shows, then it decides.”
In training, Thiem meticulously prepares for this goal. “It’s about playing the right shot in every situation, with the right spin, the right pace, the right placement. My strokes are very good, but the best stroke is useless if you use it at the wrong moment. And what definitely needs to get better is my position on the pitch. I need to get closer to the baseline, take the ball earlier. Even Rafael Nadal, who used to stand extremely far behind, is moving up more and more. That’s a basic requirement in modern tennis, it’s about offensive, pressure and permanent aggression.”