World No.4 Dominic Thiem was earlier stunned this week by Pablo Andujar in the first round of French Open 2021. The two-time runner-up at Roland Garros was upset in five sets as his torrid 2021 continued. And now Thiem has also parted ways with manager Herwig Straka.
Following his split from his long-term coach and manager Gunter Bresnik in 2019, Thiem started working with Herwig Straka. In the two years since then, Thiem has seen tremendous growth on-court as well as off-court. The Austrian is in a rough patch in 2021 and Straka says it is not the reason for the split.
Straka revealed that given his vast endeavors in the tennis world apart from being Thiem‘s manager, it was hectic and hard to manage, hence they parted ways. The recent French Open ousting didn’t have an effect on the decision. Notably, Straka is a tournament director and is also a part of the ATP board of directors.
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“The different activities of my person are certainly an advantage in many areas, but in the end it was difficult to manage all activities such as Dominic’s full-time management, the organization of the ATP tournaments, my position on the ATP Board of Directors – or the Davis Cup -To bring events under one roof in terms of time and to the full satisfaction of everyone,” Straka said. (Translated via Google Translate)
Dominic Thiem talks about the split
For now, Thiem’s family will take over the reins from Straka. The ex-manager feels the family already has a solid base in place and will do well. Moreover, Straka is also willing to pitch in his advice whenever needed.
Thiem in his statement thanked Straka for his efforts in the two years they have been together. Thiem said: “I can only thank Herwig for the work and commitment over the past two years and of course I accept his decision. We were able to celebrate great successes together and stay in good contact.”
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This announcement wouldn’t change Thiem’s on-court troubles. After the rise of 2020, Thiem has come crashing down and now stooped to a new low with a first-round exit at a tournament that he loves to play in. The second half of 2021 could be even more tiring for Thiem given he has to defend US Open.
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