Dominic Thiem dreaming of further Grand Slam success and much-improved display at Wimbledon

Dominic Thiem is dreaming of more Grand Slam success after getting a taste of glory with his US Open triumph in 2020.

However, with Wimbledon his next opportunity to recreate that winning feeling, he will need to raise his level of performance from his previous trips to the All England Club.

Before taking victory at Flushing Meadows, Thiem had reached three other Grand Slam finals, losing out to Rafael Nadal at the French Open in 2018 and 2019, before being beaten in the Australian Open showpiece by Novak Djokovic at the start of 2020.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Power of Sport, Thiem looked back on the key moments of his career to date.

“The most important thing was the first step,” he said. “So, getting into a final for the first time because then I knew I could do it and I knew how it feels to be in a Grand Slam for this long and I think the experience of the first time helped me get into a final a second and a third time.”

The Covid-19 pandemic gave the 2020 US open a unique feel, with the tournament played without spectators and a number of players – including Nadal and Gael Monfils – withdrew due to safety concerns surrounding the virus.

“The tournament was very special in itself,” Thiem said. “You could say a once-in-a-century experience which hopefully won’t repeat itself for a long time. Constantly playing behind closed doors.

“With each match, it got better and better and we had a very special final against Sascha [Alexander] Zverev, with 7-6 in the fifth set. That match was a classic, I’d say, from a sport point of view.”

“It was the best moment of my career so far.”

Thiem’s pursuit of further major success has been hampered in the last couple of years by a wrist injury which required surgery.

After dropping out of the world’s top 300 late last year, Thiem has been fighting his way back in an attempt to rediscover the power and dynamism which saw him previously ranked as one of the top three players on the planet.

Looking ahead to Wimbledon, Thiem said: “For me, in terms of results, Wimbledon is my worst Grand Slam by a distance. The last match I won there was six years ago – so a long time.”

Thiem’s best performance at the British Grand Slam came in 2017, when he reached the fourth round.

Speaking about why he thinks he struggles at SW19, Thiem said: “Grass is just different. The bounce of the ball is much lower. Serve is much more important. Often a few points can make the difference. You’ll probably also get a lot more breaks on grass, so it’s a lot more difficult but at the same time, it’s a lot of fun. Unfortunately, it’s a very brief season but it’s about getting the most out of it.”

Despite his Wimbledon struggles to date, Thiem is determined to change his fortunes at this year’s Championships.

“I think everybody knows Wimbledon,” Thiem said. “Not just sports fans or tennis fans. It’s the tournament with the greatest tradition and it’s the dream of every player and of every fan to be there and to watch games.”

Away from the court, Thiem has great passion about the world around him and is hugely conscious of climate change.

He works with an ecosystem project in his home country of Austria to protect bee habitats.

He said: “Bees are the most important pollinators. Without them, it would be very difficult for all other creatures and of course, consequently, for us as human beings.

“Bees are in danger due to factors caused by human beings and the Bio Bienen Apfel Project is trying to help the bees. Trying to help the declining bee population. It’s a huge thing which everybody can help with.”

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