"I could take Roger Federer as a mental coach, that wouldn't help me either" - Dominic Thiem on his mindset
Former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem opened up on his mindset and said he could even contemplate taking Roger Federer as his mental coach, but it wouldn't help him.
Thiem's last major title came way back in 2020 when he triumphed at the US Open and since then his career graph has slid down. A wrist injury did not help him either and the Austrian found himself relegated to the sidelines for a major part of last season.
Thiem returned to active tennis almost a year ago and, the former world No 3 has managed to slide back into the top-100. However, an ATP Tour title has proved elusive. Compunding his problems are him running into tough players like Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev in the opening round of several tournaments.
Speaking about his his mindset, Dominic Thiem said taking help from one of the best in the business would also not help him. He believes that is the case as it is very difficult to sustain a great mental mindset after being successful.
"It's just up to me. I could take Roger Federer as a mental coach that wouldn't help me either (sic)," Thiem said in an interview with German daily Der Standard.
"In Melbourne, you could see, after the final, how Novak Djokovic was energized and it was literally coming out of him. In fact, it is a difficult phase when you are successful. It's not really fun. I've always had trouble savoring victories."
Thiem added that he now makes it a point to get away from the "idea of being a machine" and said his focus is now on enjoying his game.
"I try to get away from the idea of being a machine. No more training for hours without thinking of anything. I try to enjoy beautiful things more. For me, that means nice shots or good points. But it is far from easy," he added.
Dominic Thiem has an underwhelming start to new season
Dominic Thiem hasn't had the best of starts in the ongoing season and has drawn a blank with respect to winning matches this year. He was ousted in the first round at the Adelaide International 1 (against Kwon Soon-woo) and the Australian Open (against Andrey Rublev).
An unsavory 0-4 win-loss record to start the season hasn't done much justice to a player of Thiem's caliber. He lost to Borna Gojo 6-3, 7-6 and Borna Coric 7-6, 6-2 in the Davis Cup qualifiers to send his team crashing out of the marquee event.
The 29-year-old took to social media soon after to thank the fans for their support and apologize for the below-par performance.
"I’m disappointed I could not help Austria win the Davis Cup tie against Croatia. Congratulations, and well done to them," Thiem wrote. "I know it wasn't easy for all of you to support me lately, and I fully understand that some of my performances weren't what they should be."
However, Dominic Thiem isn't losing hope and has maintained that his main goal after an injury comeback last year is to get back to his previous best.