Dominic Thiem canceled the ATP 250 tournament in Belgrade this week. Now Austria's biggest tennis star commented on form problems and knee problems.

Dominic Thiem

Dominic Thiem's tennis year has been moderately successful so far. At the Australian Open, Thiem rattled out in the round of 16 against Grigor Dimitrov and also in Doha and Dubai it went bankrupt. Thiem is now suspended in Belgrade.

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“If I had gone to Belgrade with knee pain, I would have lost again on the first lap,” explains the 27-year-old in the standard interview. “And then you're in the middle of a negative vortex. I have to avoid that. So I better stay at home. I'm not the first, nor the last, to handle it that way.”

In general, Thiem did not feel in top shape recently – and that was also visible. “If you are not one hundred percent fit, you have lost. For me that was the case this year at the Australian Open and especially in Doha and Dubai. The opponents are far too strong, the level is too high, you lose in the first or second round. It is wiser if you take yourself out. You should only come back when it makes sense, “says Thiem.

With the US Open triumph, Thiem fulfilled a life goal. A goal that he “chased for 15 years” “without looking to the left or to the right”. Then he fell into a hole, as he admits. “In a way, some things fell by the wayside – private life, dealing with other things, broadening one's horizons. You have to do something for your head, for your brain. There was only tennis. I want to change that a bit. “