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Coach Nicolas Massu, Dominic Thiem of Austria and Wolfgang Thiem talk during a training session with Dominic Thiem of Austria and Dennis Novak of Austria on day five of the Erste Bank Open 500 at Wiener Stadthalle on October 25, 2019 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Andrea Kareth /SEPA.Media /Getty Images)
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Coach Nicolas Massu, Dominic Thiem of Austria and Wolfgang Thiem talk during a training session with Dominic Thiem of Austria and Dennis Novak of Austria on day five of the Erste Bank Open 500 at Wiener Stadthalle on October 25, 2019 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Andrea Kareth /SEPA.Media /Getty Images)
The new US Open champion Dominic Thiem has made quite a name for himself over the past couple of years. But, according to the German legend Boris Becker, the Austrian ace has not achieved all this success all alone. It is coach Nicolas Massú who has played a significant role in the 27-year-old’s growth.
In 2019, the two-time Olympic Gold medallist from Chile, Massú, began to coach Thiem. However, this came after the Austrian ace had split with his long-time coach Gunter Bresnik. It had not ended very well.
Nonetheless, Thiem and Massú participated in the 2019 Indian Wells Masters as their first tournament. And in a week, they even lifted the trophy.
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Dominic Thiem of Austria celebrates with the championship trophy after winning in a tie-breaker during his Men’s Singles final match against Alexander Zverev of Germany on Day Fourteen of the 2020 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Since then, the Austrian ace has entered 4 Grand Slam finals and 2 consecutive ATP Finals. Of the four major tournament finals, Thiem won one against Alexander Zverev in New York last year.
The German former World No. 1 said that the year and a half has been best for Thiem. Therefore, he explained the importance of a coach behind a professional tennis athlete.
“Then there was a break, meanwhile, he harmonizes incredibly with his new coach Nicola Massú,” said Becker. “He has spent the best 18 months on the tennis court – also thanks to his coach.”
Read More: Boris Becker Slams Australian Open 2021 Organisers, Says Their Conditions Are Not Fair
Setback for Dominic Thiem ahead of Australian Open 2021
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia greets his opponent at the end of the Men’s Singles Final against Dominic Thiem of Austria on day fourteen of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by James D. Morgan/Getty Images)
Before traveling to Australia, the Chilean coach tested positive for the coronavirus. Thus, his plans to company Thiem in the Australian Open 2021 bubble failed.
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Massú later stated that he wants to join the Austrian ace as soon as he recovers. But given the strict mandate of the Victorian government, this seems highly unlikely.
As a result, Wolfgang Thiem accompanied his son to the year’s first Grand Slam tournament. Notably, Wolfgang is also a tennis coach and will captain Team Austria in the ATP Cup 2021.
But before moving to Melbourne Park, the 27-year-old will participate in an exhibition match held in Adelaide. Some of the top players on both men’s and women’s side of tennis will accompany him there.
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Considering Thiem is the defending finalist of the ‘Happy Slam’, there are great chances that he can even win the Australian Open 2021 title. Do you he will win a Grand Slam in 2021?
Also Read: Dominic Thiem Confident of Adapting to the Conditions at the Australian Open 2021
