Thiem 'fell into a hole' but plans for Madrid
Dominic Thiem is struggling with pandemic-related "emptiness" but plans to return to the clay-court in Madrid in early May once a knee pain dissipates, he told an Austrian newspaper Monday (Tuesday in Manila).
After winning the US Open against Alexander Zverev in September, Thiem said he was full of "euphoria" but "in preparing for this season, I fell into a hole."
"There is a certain emptiness, though it's not dramatic. Last week, I didn't even watch the football Champions League because it's such a tragedy," he said, adding he "barely followed" the tennis tournament in Monte Carlo, which he had decided to sit out.
The world No. 4 spoke of the mental strain of the pandemic in an interview with Austrian newspaper Der Standard.
He said while rivals such as Daniel Evans or Alexander Bublik may thrive without distractions, he suffers with the restrictions on movement during quarantines and the empty stadiums.
The 27-year-old said the primary reason he pulled out of the Miami Open, the Monte Carlo Masters and a tournament in Belgrade was a "small issue with my left knee," that would quickly heal.
He said he decided it would be "smarter to sit it out. You
shall only come back when makes sense."
Thiem is a two-time runnerup at Roland Garros, the second major of the year which is due to begin May 24 and said that he dreams of winning a medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo scheduled for this summer, "if they take place.” it