Dominic Thiem admits he made a "mistake" by not calling Alex Stober to inform him of their split, says Stober's media comments felt like a "slap"
Dominic Thiem made headlines last month after he announced his split from fitness trainer Alex Stober. Stober accused Thiem of not informing him of the split, after which the former US Open champion hit back.
Thiem said the two parted ways because Stober "twisted the truth" by claiming that the Austrian was pushing to be ready for the US Open. In a recent press conference, Thiem shed further light on his split with Stober.
The Austrian admitted he made a mistake by not calling Stober to inform him of the situation. However, Thiem also claimed that he is "not the type of person" to discuss his problems at length.
"There have been a few mistakes of course," he said. "My mistake, why this also happened through the media, was that I didn't call him. I'm also not the type of person who calls the same or the next day and then discusses all the problems for hours."
Thiem further claimed that Stober did not give him an opportunity to inform him of the developments and that his comments to the media felt like a "slap in the face."
"He also didn't give me a chance to call because he then gave me the slap through the media," he said. "Of course I was disappointed. But I definitely want to say that because the whole time was too good for that."
Thiem has been sidelined since June after he sustained a wrist injury at the ATP 250 event in Mallorca. He subsequently withdrew from Wimbledon and exacerbated the injury while trying to rush back in time for the US Open.
Having parted ways with Alex Stober, the 28-year-old is now working with Jez Green, who has trained the likes of Andy Murray and Alexander Zverev in the past.
There was a breach of trust which was the reason for the separation: Dominic Thiem
During the press conference, Dominic Thiem alleged that the complications with his wrist were caused by Stober, but that it was the Austrian who was forced to shoulder the blame. According to Thiem, this led to a "breach of trust" that resulted in him parting ways with Stober.
"Everyone makes mistakes, but the way that they didn't admit it to themselves and somehow put the blame on me and the other team," Thiem said. "That was then a breach of trust and the reason for the separation."
The Austrian doubled down on his claim that Stober made him believe he could return in time for the US Open, which forced him to rush through his recovery process.
"(Stober) did therapy on his own and said the US Open shouldn't be a problem at all. You will be able to play there. I then gave up much too early. Then the other forms of therapy went a little wrong. I played for a week and a half and then it happened again," he said.