"Dominic Thiem is physically in better shape than at this time a year ago" - Sports scientist Mike Reinprecht
Styrian Sports scientist Mike Reinprecht recently claimed that Dominic Thiem has taken his physical fitness to an even higher level than last year.
Thiem is known as one of the fittest players on tour, having frequently outlasted even the likes of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in marathon matches. The 27-year-old has begun his off-season training in Austria where he has been working on performance diagnostics, endurance runs and balance exercises in a bid to get ready for the 2021 Australian Open.
Reinprecht, who has been working with Dominic Thiem for a few years now, recently spoke with Austrian media outlet Krone where he revealed that the World No. 3 has been training hard for several hours a day.
"One thing can already be said: Dominic Thiem is even physically in better shape than at this time a year ago," Reinprecht said.
2020 was a breakthrough season for Thiem, as he won his first Major at the 2020 US Open and also reached the finals of the Australian Open and the ATP Finals. If the 27-year-old has indeed improved his physical conditioning even further, the rest of the tour would have to be wary of facing him in tough matches.
Dominic Thiem will play the ATP Cup in the lead-up to the Australian Open
Now that the schedule for the first two months of the 2021 calendar has been released, Dominic Thiem has also outlined his plans for the Australian summer.
The Austrian will compete in the ATP Cup, which is being held in the first week of February in Melbourne, followed by the Australian Open. Thiem reached the final of the Australian Open last year, where he lost a close five-setter to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic
The 27-year-old plans to leave for Melbourne on 13 January to begin his two-week quarantine, during which players will be allowed to leave their rooms only for five hours a day.
"Quarantine, strict training rules," his father Wolfgang Thiem said. "The first two weeks will be tough. Then Dominic plays the ATP Cup in preparation, and the Grand Slam starts on 8 February."
Amid his off-season training, Thiem is also dealing with his ongoing legal battle against former coach Gunter Bresnik - who has sued him for 450,000 euros. The Austrian flew to Vienna to attend a hearing on the matter on Friday, and it remains to be seen if the two parties reach an out-of-court settlement on the issue.