Dominic Thiem feels his brother Moritz is better than him at many things in life
World No. 3 Dominic Thiem lavished praise on his brother Moritz, stating that his younger sibling is better than him in every aspect of life except tennis. The Austrian tennis star feels that he has a lot to learn from Moritz, and can't help but be proud of his brother's abilities.
Moritz Thiem has just started his journey as a professional tennis player. The 20-year-old from Austria is currently at the 1426th rank in ATP rankings. But in an interview with livetennis.it, Dominic Thiem claimed that his brother is already a winner in many ways.
I am proud of him: Dominic Thiem on his brother Moritz
2020 Australian Open finalist Dominic Thiem has achieved a lot of success on the tennis court over the last half decade. In his nine-year-long career as a professional, the 26-year-old has reached three Grand Slam finals.
Thiem qualified for the summit clashes of the last two French Open competitions. However, Rafael Nadal defeated him on both occasions.
Earlier this year, Dominic Thiem made it to the final of the Australian Open, where Novak Djokovic outlasted him in a thrilling five-set match. Besides, the Lichtenwörth-based player came close to clinching the ATP World Tour Finals title last year; it took a marathon effort from Stefanos Tsitsipas to deny Thiem at the last hurdle.
Meanwhile, Dominic's brother Moritz turned professional in 2019. He has taken part in several M15 and M25 tournaments, and is trying to break into the top 1000 of the ATP Rankings.
Discussing Moritz's abilities during the interview, Dominic said:
"In many things, my brother is ahead of me and is better than me."
Dominic and Moritz share a very strong bond between themselves, and have often been spotted hanging out or working out together. They often go on family holidays too, in addition to giving each other company during their tennis travels.
Thiem went on to say that Moritz is a multi-talented individual who is already a source of inspiration for him.
"I have a lot to learn from him and I think I'm better only in tennis," Dominic said.
The World No. 3 was his usual humble self as he continued heaping compliments on his younger sibling:
"He can do many things in life better than me. I am proud of him."
Dominic Thiem and his brother at the Generali Austrian Pro Series
Moritz Thiem is nowhere near his brother on the ATP rankings chart, but he is currently playing with Dominic in the Generali Austrian Pro Series. Moritz collided against Maximilian Neuchrist first up in the tournament, where Neuchrist tamed him 6-1, 6-2. Moritz then went on to face Sebastian Ofner, whom he lost to in straight sets.
On the other hand, Dominic Thiem has dominated his opponents. The 2018 US Open quarterfinalist dropped a set against Sandro Kopp, but he bounced back in style with a clinical win against David Pichler (where he didn't lose a single game).
Dominic Thiem has even announced that he is organizing a special 'Theim's 7' tournament, an eight-man invitational tourney that will take place in July this year. The competition will also feature women's players.