Dominic Thiem reveals he was defining himself "only by results" for a long time, points out the approach is not mentally healthy
Dominic Thiem has revealed that he was only evaluating himself through results for a long time and that such an approach was mentally unhealthy for him.
The Austrian has endured a considerable downfall on the tour since a major wrist injury in 2020. While he has been relentlessly putting in the effort to get back to his best form, he has failed to return to his best despite making a full recovery from various injuries.
The 2023 season started on a disappointing note for the 29-year-old. Most recently, he suffered a defeat against Thiago Monteiro in the first round of the Rio Open.
After the match, Thiem revealed that his approach to evaluating himself only through results has been one of the major reasons for his inability to get back into top form.
"I was defining myself only by results for a long time, which is not mentally healthy. I'm going to do my best in every game, what will happen I can't predict," he said.
Thiem sobre querer retomar sua melhor forma: "Eu estava me definindo só por resultados por muito tempo, o que não é mentalmente saudável. Eu vou dar o meu melhor em cada jogo, o que vai acontecer eu não posso prever." #RioOpen
Despite crashing out of the Rio Open in the opening round, Thiem believes that there was some improvement in his game compared to his performance at the Argentina Open.
"It was slow at the beginning, but the second and third sets were an open game. It was a little better than Buenos Aires, but I need to improve when I get closer to the baseline," he expressed.
Dominic Thiem: "Estava lento no começo, mas o segundo e terceiro sets foram um jogo aberto. Foi um pouco melhor que Buenos Aires, mas preciso melhorar quando me aproximo da linha de base". #RioOpen
At the Argentina Open, Thiem endured a second-round exit at the hands of Juan Pablo Varillas.
Dominic Thiem receives wildcard at BNP Paribas Open
Dominic Thiem has received a wildcard entry into the main draw of the 2023 BNP Paribas Open. The first Masters 1000 event of the year is set to get underway on March 9.
The Austrian took to social media to express his delight at receiving the wildcard at Indian Wells. He also reminisced on his title win in the tournament four years ago.
"Hello Indian Wells. Today I received the great message that I will get a wild card for the 2023 BNP Paribas Open. It’s unbelievable news for me as it’s a tournament I love and it’s going to be the first time I play there since I won the tournament in 2019. So looking forward to seeing you all there. Thank you," Thiem stated in a video posted on Instagram.
Dominic Thiem defeated Roger Federer in the final to clinch the title in the 2019 edition of the tournament.