Thiem building

Roland: During last year’s US Open, your coach Günter Bresnik said you were a “sleeping volcano.” Why?

Dominic Thiem: "Because it’s true! Off the court, I think I am a pretty down-to-earth, laid-back person, who never gets angry. But on the court, I can completely lose it. I mean, we’re talking about tennis here – psychologically speaking, it is the most difficult sport, things are decided on tiny details. I am working on that but once in a while, I let things out."

Have you always been a sleeping volcano or is it due to your level?

"I have always been like that. I have never consulted a mental coach. I think this has to be practiced on the court and nowhere else. Even when I was younger, I’d get nervous and angry as soon as I’d step onto the court. Actually, I don’t think it will ever change. Both my parents were tennis coaches, they used to take me with them when I was a child and they had to calm me down even back then. I needed to be on the move; when I was seven, my father joined Günter’s academy in Vienna. I played football too but I soon felt I would stick to tennis, I felt something different for this sport." 

“Something different”?

"It was like love at first sight, it hit me when I watched my first match in a stadium, I think I was 7 or 8. It was the Vienna Open, and I realised that in tennis, something is always going to happen. It is not like athletics, for instance, when you have to wait a moment before you see the best athletes run. In tennis, the best players play every week, even in the first rounds."

This is why it remains a pleasure for you. You were out of the US Open after losing an incredible five-set match to Rafael Nadal. Afterwards you said it was definitely the “best match” of your career. Honestly, can we lose and yet feel satisfied?

"Well, first of all, we are talking about a match against the world’s No.1, and which lasted for about five hours (4 hours 49 minutes exactly). It was a very long match but I did enjoy it as we both played at a very high level. For the first time in my career, I saw I could stick to a high level in my game and make it last. This sort of things makes you really confident for the future. I could also gauge how much I had improved since I had lost to Rafa a few months earlier, in the Roland-Garros final. It was a night session, on the Arthur-Ashe court, there were thousands of people in the stands… It was amazing!"

This must be the only time you smiled after a defeat.

"It does not happen often... (laughter). I hate losing. But it was special. In a football match, I think it would have been a draw, but you can’t tie in tennis, and I lost the fifth set in the tie-break. In this context, it is easier to accept." 

Have you ever played a match so good you did not want it to end?

"The truth is, when I play, I completely lose track of time. Sometimes I play for three hours and feel like I’ve only been playing for one. In my mind, there is just the match and the result. No clock."

And there is “the plan”, this tactical data which is part of your training. You often talk about how you work according to “plans”. What is it all about?

"Take Rafa for instance. I have played him 11 times. The first time was in the 2014 Roland-Garros. I was very young, so it was really hard. I did better the second time, in Buenos Aires, two years later, and I won. Then we played two matches in which I had no chance whatsoever: in Barcelona and Madrid, in 2017. So I met my coach before the Rome match. We needed to change something in the way I prepared. Günter said something simple: “If you don’t work out any special plan, you are going to lose again.” I needed to be more aggressive and stop brooding over my mistakes. In order to do so, I had to take more risks, I mean being more aggressive. In the end, I won in Rome and Madrid that year because we managed to create something different, something new. When you play someone like Rafa, there is no other way to win."

So there is no surprise when you step onto the court?

"There are always surprises as it’s always a learning curve. I am alert on the court but nobody can reach perfection in tennis."

It still feels like Günter Bresnik wants you to be his best creation. He coached Boris Becker, Henri Leconte, and Ernests Gulbis, among others, but you seem to be the climax of his coaching career. Is he more demanding with you?

"There is no need to convey any special message but the truth is, only a few players have kept the same coach for so long. He taught me tennis and its finest details. I am just the result of his own work. Of course, it was hard sometimes, and I am no easy student either. Günter has completely modified my DNA as a player. I swapped my defensive attitude for an attacking style."

So a coach is like a mechanic: you are like his car and he is constantly altering some parts of your game to improve your skills. As a player, isn’t it hard to accept and change your game?

"It is as hard as it is strange. I was No.1 in Austria back then. I was 12 years-old and I had to change my backhand shot. I could win matches only with my two-handed backhand grip but Günter thought that I would play better with a one-handed grip. I was lucky to be so young; when you change your backhand at the age of 12, you don’t see tennis as a job yet so it is easier to change your style."

Defeat was hard to accept even when you were younger though…

"Of course it was. But it is part of a player’s evolution. A tennis player has to make sacrifices, especially as a teenager. Sometimes, you can hardly accept the fact that you can’t go out like any other guy. But I still have a lot of friends, some of them being tennis players too. Actually, I think we, tennis players, are all the same: we all started very young and our life has more or less always been as it is now. We don’t know what a 'normal life' is."

You said in a recent interview that your father often stressed that you could not be an elite player without making sacrifices. He used to tell the other parents that 'nobody realises what it takes to be a professional tennis player.'

"And he was right. It is really hard. You can make a living from tennis only when you are one of the world’s best 100. When you are young, there are many rules to follow if you want to get ahead. Only a few parents can afford to let their children live this kind of life. You must find sponsors, and even when all seems fine, things can change really quickly, for better or for worse."

At 25 years old, do you still enjoy playing?

"For me, pleasure is about feeling as happy after a victory today as I was at the age of 10 or 12. This feeling hasn’t disappeared. Same when I lose: I am still devastated." 

What do you do after a defeat? Do you go out to clear your mind?

"It depends. (laughter). When I lose in the first round of a tournament, I am really down. When I lose in the US Open quarter-finals to Rafa or in the Bercy Open semis after a good week, I can accept it. The thing is that when I lose, I have to look ahead and be ready for the next tournament straight away. It is automatic. Pain is restrained in a very short time frame. It gets harder when there is a long break, as I have time to dwell on my defeat. I cannot watch a match I lost, it is impossible for me."

How would you describe your relationship with clay?

"It is quite simple: I played only on clay from the age of 10 to 18. It is my favourite court, I master it, I know how to move on it, I know how to pressure my opponent… it is natural for me."

How did Roland-Garros come into your life?

"I can remember the very first Roland-Garros match I watched on TV; it was the 2001 final won by Guga, when he drew a heart on the court. As for the first match I played, it was in 2010, as a junior. I was feeling so confident, I had just been promoted in the junior Top 10 and I lost in the first round to Ashley Hewitt. So to be honest, my first Roland-Garros memory is not that sweet…" 

As a junior, was the pressure as intense as it is today?

"Yes it was, you could feel that Grand Slam atmosphere. Even though you are just a junior, you have only played in minor tournaments where nobody comes to see you play. So playing in a packed stadium is quite a stunning thing, naturally." 

Did you feel pushed by the fans or did you feel inhibited?

"All players are not able to leverage the fans. I like the energy they can give you but things can be tough when you play against Nadal in Spain or any American player in the United States. When the fans stand against you, it can be hard."

Do you manage to shelter from tennis sometimes?

"I love watching football, especially the Premier League as I have been a big Chelsea fan for about 10 years. This is my favourite thing apart from tennis. I even play football whenever I can."

Is it true that you’ve started your own club?

"Yes, I did it a few years ago with some friends of mine and we play friendly matches against other teams. I am a midfielder, sort of an N’Golo Kanté (laughter). Sometimes I chat with some Chelsea players on Instagram. I also know a few Austrian players, such as David Alaba or Marko Arnautović. They even gave me tips, especially about training."

You are also involved in several organisations, such as WWF. Where does it come from?

"I have always been an animal lover. I grew up like that, my mother is deeply involved in animal protection; I know I have a bit of influence so I try to use it to convey some messages. The environment is a big issue today, the world is in a critical situation, some species are endangered and we must deal with global warming. I work with nature reserves in Austria and I am really concerned about cleaning the beaches from plastic. I use my Instagram and Twitter accounts to inform people on those topics. Any time I can, I try to act in that sense."

What kind of things do you do?

"Before this year’s Miami Open, I helped cleaning a beach in California. Luckily, I can make an impact as a tennis player. I have no interest in politics at all, but if I can find a way to help the environment, then I do it. It’s important. We don’t really talk about these kind of things among tennis players, although I know Kevin Anderson is also involved in cleaning up the oceans from plastic."

Is it possible to be close friends with other players on the circuit?

"It is quite difficult as the thing you want the most is beating them on the court. We are opponents after all. But we still manage to be friends sometimes. As far as I am concerned, I am close friends with Diego Schwartzman. We often meet for dinner, we play PlayStation together… We all know each other very well as we play one another every week."

Do they give you advice?

"No, can’t do… We train individually." 

Do you have time to visit the cities where you play during tournaments?

"Not really and this is something I regret, especially when it comes to Paris. It’s a city I would love to visit but I will do so after my career. Luckily, my girlfriend is French so it feels special to play at Roland-Garros. It’s an important tournament for me. After all, my career has just started."