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There has been more than enough chatter about the Australian Open’s stage advance. Quarantine situations. COVID-19 tests positive. Rules and regulations. Guidelines and protocols. The way people deal with situations and how they maintain a strong mental belief is what is crucial.
No one, not one person, said it was easy. Everyone from top to bottom recognizes that this is not ideal, but these are the cards that have been dealt and now is the time to show what we are made of. Seriously trying to put the frustrations aside and keep producing the best they can be will show who has the mental toughness.
Some will fare better than others and over the past couple of years the one who has shown such maturity in tennis is Dominic Thiem. The World No.3 has always had a bright future, but he went from being a formidable player on clay to knocking on the door of the World No.1.
This is something that I believe he will achieve this year barring unforeseen circumstances. Recently, he spoke to Sportschau, an Austrian publication and there is no doubt that he knows that it’s all in the palms of his hands… or more accurately on the strings of his racquet.
Twelve months ago he was so close to winning the Australian Open after defeating Gael Monfils, Rafa Nadal and Alexander Zverev in back-to-back matches leading to the final. He was then incredible in a five-set thriller against Novak Djokovic. Almost nothing separated them. Nole ended up winning but he really worked hard to organize the Sir Norman Brookes Cup as the fifth seed came to him with everything he had.
“I really want to win the tournament,” Thiem said. “I start every tournament with the will to win it, except Wimbledon maybe. During games I’m not more relaxed now because I won a Grand Slam, I show the same nervousness as ‘before. will certainly not change until the end of my career.
“But I also know that if I play well and am well prepared, my chances of going far in the Australian Open or other Grand Slam tournaments are good. The focus of my preparation now is to go there. “
He says over time he has learned to deal with losses better. There is no doubt that some hurt more than others but that is the nature of the beast. You learn more from these defeats and they add an extra layer of determination to try not to let it happen again.
The 6-4 defeat in the last set last year against Djokovic hurt a lot and he “consumed him for two, three or four months”. He felt similar after losing the ATP final last November to Daniil Medvedev.
This bitterness is obviously more prevalent in bigger events, while a defeat in many other events is treated with a little more acceptance when he knows he gave his all. He says he handles the losses on his own, but there is a better level of acceptance when he knows he has done all he can and the opponent has just played too well.
“I have to accept it. It’s tennis. All players except one lose in a week,” Thiem said.
His victory at the US Open last September was a remarkable game – one of the best of all time. The final against Zverev could have gone either way as championship points floated through the net before Thiem won the fifth tiebreaker 8-6.
It got the monkey off his back after making three more majors finals. There was a feeling of relief. He suggested he had doubts if he would win one given he had lost all three of those finals.
“When you hit the same distance as me and other players, before the US Open, when you have an amazing career and a lot of wins, but not yet a Grand Slam title, if you never win one in the end, your stomach will always weigh on the athletic side of your life, ”Thiem said.“ So it was a huge relief to be successful. It was my very big goal. If I were to never win a game again, I would always happily watch my career now… which I certainly didn’t before. “
The Austrian, who will be the third seed at the Australian Open from February 8, must be considered one of the two main threats, the other favorite has won it eight times … the last one there at twelve months.
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