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Dominic Thiem, Tennis News

‘Dominic Thiem showing the ultimate signs of depression,’ suggests Mats Wilander


Mats Wilander has expressed concern over the mental health of Dominic Thiem, saying he fears he’s suffering a ‘sporting death.’

Thiem has struggled badly since winning the US Open last year, and said he recently left the Australian Open feeling ’empty’ following his fourth round loss to Girgor Dimitrov.

The Austrian did not look himself at all in that match, appearing almost emotionally disengaged and bereft of his usual fighting spirit.

Thiem also disappointed in Doha and Dubai after that, losing in the opening rounds in each despite being the top seed for both.

He hasn’t actually played since, pulling out of Miami, Monte-Carlo, and Belgrade, and Wilander says the signs are certainly worrying from Dominic Thiem right now.

“For a tennis player, the ultimate indicator of depression is when you are on the court and you no longer feel the visceral urge to win,” Wilander told L’Equipe.

“When the outcome doesn’t really matter anymore, it’s an alert. It’s like a sporting death.”


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Michael Graham, Tennishead.net Editor, has been a professional sports journalist for his whole career and is especially passionate about tennis. He's been the Editor of Tennishead.net for over 5 years and loves watching live tennis by visiting as many tournaments as possible. Michael specialises in writing in-depth features about the ATP & WTA tours.