'Complete player', 'unbelievable person': Massu on why it's easy to coach Dominic Thiem
Dominic Thiem has long been touted as the best hope to break the Big 3’s vice-like grip on tennis. He has come close on three occasions already, having reached the finals of the French Open (2018, 2019) and the Australian Open (2020), before falling to a member of the Big 3 (Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic respectively).
Notwithstanding his eventual stumble at the last hurdle, there has been a remarkable improvement in Thiem's results and performances lately. And much of the credit for that goes to his current coach Nicolas Massu.
In a recent interview with ATPTour.com, Massu spoke at length about Dominic Thiem’s potential, while also shedding some light on the Austrian’s schedule for the next couple of months.
Dominic Thiem always gives his 100%: Nicolas Massu
After Dominic Thiem getting Nicolas Massu into his team, the Austrian witnessed an immediate improvement in his game and results. Thiem won the Indian Wells Masters within a month of starting to work with the Chilean. And when it came to Majors, the Austrian made the finals in two of the four on offer.
A Grand Slam victory would definitely be on the minds of both Thiem and Massu, and the coming US Open is a golden opportunity for that long-awaited breakthrough.
When asked if there would be any changes in Thiem’s game at New York, Massu replied that they were working to ‘improve everyday’. The Chilean also highlighted Thiem's quality by calling him a ‘complete player’.
“We’re trying to improve every day," Massu said. "He’s not a teenager where you might have to make big changes, but he’s still a young guy at age 26 and there are still little changes that we can make. He’s a complete player now and showed that he can play on hardcourts.”
Massu, who had recently marked Thiem as one of the favourites for the US Open, further continued his praise of the Austrian by calling him an ‘unbelievable person’. For the Chilean, working with Thiem is a ‘big motivation’ due to the latter’s ability to follow instructions perfectly.
“Working with Dominic is a big motivation for me because he’s a great player and an unbelievable person," Massu added. "He’s really educated, he listens and always gives 100 per cent. It’s unbelievable as a coach because you only need to tell him what you see on the court.”
Nicolas Massu on Dominic Thiem’s packed upcoming schedule
Thiem is currently slated to play the Cincinnati Masters from 22 August, after which he will take part in the US Open which is slated to continue till 14 September. But in the midst of that lies the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel; chalked in for an 8 September start, it has the World No.3 on its entry list.
Dominic Thiem’s participation in Kitzbuhel will of course depend on his showing at the US Open. And Massu confirmed that his ward wouldn't be taking part in his home tournament should he make the second week at New York.
“The most important thing now is to think about the next step, which is the Western & Southern Open and the US Open," Massu said. "After that, you have to see how you’re feeling physically and what your results are. He signed up for Kitzbuhel, but he can’t play if he’s in the quarterfinals of the US Open."
The French Open - which is expected to start on 27 September - will be the next big challenge for Dominic Thiem once the US Open ends. The Austrian and his team have only planned their schedule until Roland Garros; Massu stressed on the ‘difficulty’ of making plans given the lack of breaks in the ATP calendar this year.
“If he plays unbelievably well at Roland Garros, what will his next tournament be after that? It’s so difficult to plan an exact calendar because there are no weeks off. Once the US Open finishes, we’ll sit down with the whole team and decide what the best plan is,” Massu said.