’Good Things Are Just Gone”: Dominic Thiem Reflects on Playing Tennis During COVID-19 Pandemic

World No. 4 Dominic Thiem has shown promising signs to be one of the future leaders of the game. With each passing year, the Austrian athlete has made progress in his game. He was the first player from the new generation to win a Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows last season, beating another youngster in Alexander Zverev in the US Open final. 

Over the past 12 months, however, tennis has been disrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic, ensuing heavy restrictions. Even the top players like Dominic Thiem have had to compromise. The majority of tournaments have had to take place without spectators. Players have had to restrict their freedom of movement and live in bio secure bubbles at every tournament.

Dominic Thiem enjoyed going for dinners at the different tennis venues

Naturally, this is a hot topic of discussion not just among fans but also the players. Prior to the pandemic, Thiem would enjoy visiting the different restaurants at the different venues. That is a mere dream now with the new reality in place.

The 27-year-old Austrian player voiced his opinion and stated, “The entire tour is really exhausting because we are on the road all year round. And right now all the nice things like the energy from the fans, the dinners in the great cities where we are, go on the beach together.

“All these things just fall away. All the bad things about traveling and the whole job are still there, and all the good things are just gone. That just makes it a little more exhausting than it was before.”

(Quotes translated using Google translate)

Other than the restricted movement, the absence of fans from the events can be demotivating for some players. Usually, crowds add another level of excitement and can help players produce scintillating tennis. It is a hand-in-hand process and without the spectators, some players can find it difficult to keep motivated. 

A disappointing start for Dominic Thiem

Speaking of tennis, Dominic began his season at the exhibition event ‘A Day at the Drive’ in Adelaide. He competed against Rafael Nadal and lost the match. Later, he represented Austria in the ATP Cup but lost to Italy’s Matteo Berrettini.

He was next seen at the Australian Open and played a sensational match against Australia’s Nick Kyrgios. He lost the first couple of sets and clawed his way back into the match, claiming the next three sets. However, he lost in the following match to Bulgarian player Grigor Dimitrov.

Currently, Thiem is not playing the ATP Monte Carlo Masters this week. Nonetheless, he intends to resume his season at the ATP Serbia Open 2021 in Belgrade.  

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