Dominic Thiem's brother Moritz is keeping his hopes low, wants to break into top 1000
Moritz Thiem, the brother of Dominic Thiem, has responded to the appreciation that he received from the World No. 3 a few days ago.
The younger Thiem said that he is not as physically fit as his sibling was at 20, but he is lucky that everyone has supported him in his growth. Moritz has been assisting his father, Wolfgang Thiem, in organizing the 'Thiem's 7' tournament scheduled for next month.
During his recent interview with ESPN, the 1540th-ranked Moritz said that he needed to give his 100 percent on the court or else he'd feel he has let his supporters down. He even pointed out that he might consider taking a university career if he doesn't break into the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings soon..
I'm not so ready physically: Dominic Thiem's brother
Moritz is the son of tennis coaches Wolfgang and Karin Thiem, and his elder brother Dominic Thiem has famously reached three Grand Slam finals. The elder Thiem is far superior to his brother on the tennis court, but a few days ago the 2020 Australian Open runner-up had conceded that Moritz was better than him in many aspects of life.
Dominic Thiem said that he was proud of his brother, and in response Moritz said he has merely been trying to make the best out of what he's been given.
“Dominic's career began at age 20, that doesn't happen to me because physically I'm not so ready," Moritz said.
Moritz further stated that even though he has not achieved much success on the tennis court so far, he is not under any pressure.
"I'm going to give myself time and I'm lucky that everyone supports me and I don't have pressure. But in turn I know that I have to give 100 percent, otherwise it wouldn't make sense,” he continued.
Dominic Thiem's brother wishes to break into the Top 100 soon
Moritz Thiem is still finding his feet on the ATP tour. He achieved his best ranking of 1294 in September last year, but is currently not even among the top 1500 players. That hasn't deterred the Austrian, who aims to enter the Top 100 soon.
"It would be nice if I could make it to the top 100, but I have to see how far I can go. If I can't do it, I imagine starting a university career, abroad," Moritz concluded.
The Thiem brothers are playing in the Generali Austrian Pro Series at the moment. The two-time French Open finalist has struggled a little in the tournament though, as he has dropped two sets in five matches against much lower-ranked opponents.
On the other hand, Moritz has lost all the four games that he has played. He lost the first three matches in straight sets, but in his last battle against Tristan-Samuel Weissborn, the 20-year-old won the second set 7-5.
Moritz is still young and working hard on his game. It will be intriguing to see if he can come close to his brother's ranking over the next few years.