Dominic Thiem, double finalist at Roland-Garros (2018 and 2019) but eliminated in the first round of the 2021 edition Sunday, hopes “to bounce back as quickly as possible”, he who is struggling to get out of a difficult pass since his first Grand Slam coronation at the US Open 2020.
Is this defeat linked to the discomfort that you mentioned recently?
” Not at all. It wasn’t a motivation issue at all, but my game just wasn’t there today (Sunday). All my shots lacked power, they weren’t precise enough. I wasn’t moving well enough. I don’t really know why, because since I came back to the court two months ago, I was training really well, with a lot of intensity.
My shots were there in training, and it got better and better in Madrid and Rome. But in Lyon and here, my shots, my travel and everything, I would say that it was not the real me, the one who is able to fight for big titles. At the moment, this is not enough. And this is a very difficult situation. “
Is it all the more difficult since you have had a lot of success at Roland Garros in recent years?
“As I used to go very far in the tournament since 2016, it’s very difficult, yes. But at the same time, my last elimination in the first round in the Grand Slam, at the US Open 2019, does not go back that far. It’s not like the Big 3 who, let’s say, never loses until the quarterfinals… I’ve had early losses before, but here in particular, where it hasn’t happened to me since 2015, it feels weird and it is very difficult.
This is kind of the first time that I have been confronted with this situation: these last five, six, seven years, I have been on an upward dynamic all the time. Of course, I could sometimes go down in the standings or that sort of thing, but I’ve never known a defeat like that, especially at Roland Garros.
Losing after leading two sets to zero is very weird for me. I have to analyze this and reflect on what has not been. And after that, that I try to bounce back as quickly as possible obviously. “
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Other great players, such as Pete Sampras after his first Grand Slam or Mats Wilander after becoming world No.1, said they had difficulty digesting these successes. Do you find comfort there?
“It’s my goal (to digest). I’m sure Sampras and Wilander aren’t the only two. I believe Novak (Djokovic), to another extent, but after winning here in 2016, has also experienced it. It is extraordinary to achieve such a goal, but at the same time, something is different afterwards. As I said before the tournament, it’s a learning process, and despite the loss, which hurts a lot, I still hope to be able to come back stronger than before. But right now, I don’t know when that moment will come. “
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