“Was Just Not the Real Me”: Dominic Thiem Disregards Motivation Doubts Over Shocking 1R Loss at French Open 2021

Two-time finalist Dominic Thiem faced a shocking loss against Spanish World No.68 Pablo Andujar at the French Open 2021 first-round. Ordinarily, the Austrian ace would fight back to the top after being two sets down in a match. But this time, he squandered a two-set lead to exit Roland-Garros on the first day itself, losing 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Before coming to Paris, the 27-year-old had raised some serious questions regarding his motivation on the ATP Tour. After doing considerably well in Madrid and Rome, Thiem again had shocked the tennis community, losing in Lyon in the opening round right before Roland-Garros.

Read More: Dominic Thiem Squanders Two Sets Lead, Loses in 1st Round Shocker Against Pablo Andujar at French Open 2021

Dominic Thiem dismisses the lack of motivation aspect

Neither the 2020 US Open champion nor the tennis world anticipated this shocker. The Austrian tried to answer the question of motivation in his post-match press conference.

Thiem said, “Not at all. I was not struggling at all with my motivation, but the game was just not there today. Like all the shots are missing power, they are not accurate enough, moving not well enough. So like everything in my game, there’s some percents missing.”

Furthermore, Thiem explained he does not know the reason behind his drop in performance level. Also, he added that he had been doing super intense training for the match. The Austrian concluded, “I mean, the shots and how I moved and everything was just not the real me, I would say, or my version, who is able to play for big titles. It’s just not good enough at the moment, and yeah, it’s a very tough situation.” 

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What’s next for Thiem?

Naturally, the opening round defeat on his beloved Parisian clay will be heavy on Thiem. However, he now has enough time to analyze and regroup himself before the grass season.

Without a doubt, fans are waiting to see him flourish on the tennis courts again. Hopefully, the awarded time due to his early exit will prove advantageous for him for the rest of the season.

Thiem has a lot of work to do, whereas fans have the entirety of Roland-Garros 2021 left for them. Who do you think can challenge Rafael Nadal now that Thiem is out of contention?

Also Read: “Would Be a Challenge”: Bjorn Borg Desires to Play Against Rafael Nadal at French Open