Dominic Thiem Reveals How Roger Federer is a “Different Person” in Private

27-year-old Dominic Thiem has an informative section on his website. A new series called ‘946 Questions 946 Answers’ contains his thoughts on subjects surrounding his life, career, and much more. The Austrian began these Q/As to share his experience along the road and some memorable moments with current stars in the sport. Thiem has great admiration and reverence for Roger Federer, and here’s what he thinks about the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

Thiem’s very first chapter in the series is called “Competitors” and of course, he brought up his very first experience meeting the Swiss maestro! He mentioned how his 16-year-old self was “super nervous” when meeting Federer.

“When I was a 16-year-old junior I was allowed to practice with him for the first time at the Aorangi Park at Wimbledon. At the beginning I was super nervous, I hardly hit a ball over the net. After some minutes I settled in. Never ever had I thought I would ever beat Roger one day.”

And now, Thiem has evolved from a nervous kid, practicing against the best tennis player in the world. He’s become one of the very best on the men’s circuit now. In fact, he leads Roger Federer in their head-to-head with five victories in seven meetings against the 39-year-old. 

Roger Federer, a private person? Dominic Thiem answers

Roger and Dominic share a good relationship, and they’ve played together as teammates for Team Europe in the Laver Cup as well. They’ve shared glorious triumphs and remain close friends, on top of their competitive nature. 

Furthermore, Thiem answered a question about Roger Federer being a “private person” and revealed the relaxed and humorous personality of the 8x Wimbledon champion.

“Very, very entertaining and completely relaxed. In the lockers, meaning in the inner, inner circle, he is a completely different person. Hilarious, open minded, and he also loves pranks.”

His knee injury forced Federer to pull out of the season, but Thiem is carving his way to success at Flushing Meadows. A quarterfinal clash with Alex De Minaur is a challenging one, but he can push past it. 

Thiem recently shared his thoughts on the absence of the ‘Big 3’ from the tournament. Novak‘s exit has undoubtedly made things even more interesting. “For myself and the other remaining players left in the draw, it doesn’t matter at all if the Big Three are here or not. I think everybody just wants their hands on this trophy,” said Thiem, who’s yet to claim a Major in his promising career.