Dominic Thiem calls US Open trophy the "nicest Christmas present", says his goal for 2021 is to win another Slam
Dominic Thiem recently received a replica of the US Open trophy, which he considers to be a 'silver treasure' and the 'nicest Christmas present'. The Austrian is so enamored with the trophy that he now thinks winning another Slam in 2021 is more important than reaching the No. 1 ranking.
Thiem won the US Open in a thrilling five-set final over Alexander Zverev, where he overturned a two-set deficit. During the course of 2020, the 27-year-old also reached the Australian Open final and the final of the Nitto ATP Finals.
Writing in a blog post on his website, Dominic Thiem described how winning his first Major was equivalent to the realization of a childhood dream. He also talked in detail about the delivery of the US Open trophy replica - made by the jeweller Tiffany in Manhattan - to his residence in Austria.
"In New York I made a childhood dream come true, winning my first Grand Slam title – indescribable moments!" Thiem wrote. "There is one thing for sure: the nicest Christmas present for me is the US Open trophy."
"I have had my 'silver treasure' for only a few days in my living room – three months after winning the final against Alexander Zverev the trophy finally arrived in Austria," he added. "The famous jeweller Tiffany on 5th Avenue in Manhattan made a perfect copy of the trophy, it was handed over to me by a special security service in Lichtenwoerth. What a show!"
Dominic Thiem then mentioned his list of objectives for next season, at the top of which is adding to his Slam tally.
"I love this trophy, that's why I call my goal for 2021: I want to win another Grand Slam title, that’s my number one priority," Thiem said. "To become the number one is also on top of my bucket list. However, winning another Major tournament almost means more to me in my personal ranking."
2020 was an excellent year for me: Dominic Thiem
Despite rising to the top 10 of the world rankings at a young age and maintaining his spot there for many years, Dominic Thiem has only just started to reach his full potential. Having firmly established his place in the top echelons of the sport this year, Thiem is now considered by many to be the biggest challenger to the Big 3.
The Austrian himself seems full of confidence as he looks back on his breakthrough year fondly. Thiem acknowledged that the entire world suffered a lot in 2020, but added that as a tennis player he ticked off a lot of boxes.
"We look back at an odd year, Corona caused global chaos, however, looking at it form an athlete’s point of view 2020 was an excellent year for me," the 27-year-old said. "I started the season by reaching the final at the Australian Open, I finished the year by reaching the final at the Masters in London. But winning the title at the US Open in mid-September was the ultimate highlight."
Dominic Thiem went on to give an update on his current training schedule, stressing that he doesn't intend to take a break even during the holiday season. He concluded the post by wishing his fans a happy Christmas.
"Taking a break during the holidays? No way! On December 25 and 26 I will continue working on my physical fitness, after New Year’s Eve I will play tennis more intensively. On January 13 I will fly to Melbourne, and during quarantine with strict regulations I will start the fine-tuning," Dominic Thiem said.
"Enjoy Christmas! I wish you all the best," the US Open champion signed off.