“Memories are Still Very Clear”- Dominic Thiem Recalls When Tennis Underwent Hibernation Last Year

The 2021 tennis season hasn’t been that great for Dominic Thiem so far. The World No.4 failed to reach the quarters of the Australian Open 2021 and missed out on the semis at the Qatar Open 2021. Even though he played well in Doha, he lost a closely contested quarterfinal to Roberto Bautista Agut.

Agut exhibited some amazing skills during his match against Dominic Thiem. He won the nail-biting tie-breaker in the first set and then won the match-deciding set as well. The final scoreline of the match was 7-6, 2-6, 6-4.

Thiem faced a really intriguing question in the post-match press conference after his match against Agut.

As fans very well know, it was during this time when the coronavirus pandemic forced tennis to undergo hibernation, starting with the cancellation of Indian Wells Masters 2020.

The Austrian was asked if he could remember anything about that period.

Yeah, I mean, first of all, it feels like, I don’t know, three years or something,” began Thiem. “Many things on and off court happened in that year, so it felt like a very long time. Of course, the memory is very clear still. The moment when everybody was prepared for Indian Wells, everybody was looking forward, and then the tournament was canceled.”

Dominic Thiem feels that his daily training routine is finally back after a long break

Thiem revealed he hadn’t anticipated that the virus would be relevant for almost a year. He earlier thought that tennis would resume shortly after two or three weeks.

“In the beginning, well, I thought that the tour is gonna be back in two or three weeks. Everything is gonna be normal again. But slowly, of course, me and also everybody else realized that it’s a serious, dangerous thing going on and that there is going to be a longer break,” added the US Open 2020 champion.

However, the Austrian player feels that everyone has adapted themselves to the situation and most of the players, including himself, have returned to their daily training schedules.

“As I said, memories are still very clear. But the daily routine of myself and then of all the athletes I think is back since probably nine or ten months, so feels a bit more normal, I guess,” concluded the 27-year-old.

After a disappointing run at the Australian Open 2021 and the Qatar Open 2021, Dominic Thiem will look forward to playing some really great tennis at the upcoming Dubai Tennis Championships 2021. Fans still have high expectations from him and want him to deliver this season. Will Thiem be able to win his second Grand Slam title in 2021?

Also Read: Dominic Thiem and Denis Shapovalov on Collision Course at ATP Dubai 2021