Dominic Thiem ‘is doubting himself’ after devastating loss at French Open says Austrian legend
A disastrous return to the clay courts of Roland Garros for Dominic Thiem saw him crash out in the first round prompting concerning comments from a fellow Austrian tennis star
Dominic Thiem crashed out in his first match at the 2022 French Open and Barbara Schett believes that “in the past he was the hardest hitting player out there. That’s missing at the moment.”
Thiem was convincingly beaten by Bolivian World no. 87 Huge Dellien. Schett watched the match and afterwards was speaking for Eurosport where she is one of their key commentators for the French Open fortnight. Schett said,
“Dominic Thiem went out in the first round to Hugo Dellien. It was very frustrating for him and you could tell he didn’t have much match practice. He is not hitting the ball as hard as he used to, especially on that forehand win, and he is doubting himself at the minute. I think it is more a mental problem at the moment after losing seven matches in a row.
“I still think he has doubts. He hasn’t played in several months after that wrist injury and whenever he hits the forehand it looks to me like he doesn’t follow through the ball as fast as he used to. In the past he was the hardest hitting player out there, that’s pretty much what the players said amongst them. That’s missing at the moment.
“The mental part of a tennis player is the most important part. If he can’t fix that, if he can’t get that self-confidence back, then that speed on his forehand will also not be there.
“What does the near future hold for Dominic Thiem? I think it is really important that he starts playing some smaller tournaments. He just needs to get a couple of matches under his belt and as a tennis player, things can change quickly. He hasn’t forgotten how to play tennis. He is a Grand Slam champion; he has done so well at the French Open. I think he will make his path once again and he will be back in the top ten, but he just needs a little bit more time.
“How much would it mean to see Dominic Thiem back on top: as an Austrian we would all love to see him back in the top ten and recover as quickly as possible. In Austria, tennis has boomed since Thiem has been playing. He is a very humble person; he is a very likeable person. He can see that all the fans are standing strongly behind him and once again we all need to be patient with him. His time will come once again.”
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