"Poaching causes unimaginable suffering" - Dominic Thiem on his support towards WWF in the fight for animal welfare
Dominic Thiem continues to support the efforts of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Austria in their stand against poaching. The Austrian is known to be outspoken in his fight for animal rights and conservation, and in a recent statement he reinforced his commitment to the cause.
Thiem said that people must unite in calling for stricter controls and closure of illegal and unregulated wild animal markets.
"Poaching causes unimaginable suffering and endangers endangered animal species such as tigers and elephants," the 28-year-old was quoted as saying by Kronen Zeitung. "That is why I support the WWF in the fight against poaching."
Dominic Thiem has been an ambassador for the WWF in Austria for several years now. The chief of the organization, Andrea Johanides, recently reminisced the first time the 28-year-old got involved with the team.
Johanides also said Thiem has taken this partnership very seriously since the start, highlighting in particular the Austrian's sponsorship of an eagle that was named after him.
"We asked him to sponsor a sea eagle, known to be Austria's heraldic animal. And Austria's sports legend immediately accepted," Johanides said. "Since then, 'Dominic' - this is how the mighty bird was christened - has been circling somewhere in eastern Austria and has perhaps even sailed over some of the tennis courts that Thiem was playing on."
"He is passionate about the matter and means business very seriously," Johanides added. "His knowledge of nature is vast and the destruction of it worries him very much."
Dominic Thiem eyeing strong 2022 season
Dominic Thiem has been away from the tour since June. The 28-year-old sustained a wrist injury at the ATP 250 event in Mallorca, following which he withdrew from Wimbledon.
Thiem was then forced to miss a second consecutive Major at the US Open, where he was the defending champion, due to a complication in his recovery. The 28-year-old later missed out on defending his title at Indian Wells too.
Now ranked 8th in the ATP rankings, Dominic Thiem will look to make a strong comeback in 2022. The Austrian has already outlined his rehabilitation plans, expressing happiness about the fact that he won't be needing surgery for the issue.
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Undergoing light training at the moment, Dominic Thiem will increase the intensity of his practice sessions in November. He will then take the court in Abu Dhabi and Doha, before returning to professional action at the ATP Cup and Australian Open.
Despite Thiem's consistency at the top of the men's game, he hasn't won a lot of titles on the big stage; the Austrian has just one Masters 1000 and one Grand Slam title to his name. He will, needless to say, be looking for more success at the bigger tournaments in the next phase of his career.