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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – MARCH 16: Dominic Thiem of Austria looks on during his singles match against Lloyd Harris of South Africa during Day Ten of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium on March 16, 2021 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – MARCH 16: Dominic Thiem of Austria looks on during his singles match against Lloyd Harris of South Africa during Day Ten of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium on March 16, 2021 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
World No. 4 Dominic Thiem broke the ice for the next generation when he lifted the US Open last year. In the previous season, he had raised his level and registered wins over players like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. During the ATP Finals, he beat Rafa, which was termed one of the best matches of the season.
Recently, Dominic Thiem was competing at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis tournament. However, Lloyd Harris, who eventually lost in the final, handed Thiem a first-round defeat. The World No. 4 struggled to involve himself in the match.

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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Dominic Thiem of Austria reacts during his singles match against Lloyd Harris of South Africa during Day Ten of the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis at Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Dominic Thiem wishes to learn a new language
The pandemic was a difficult period for mankind. It forced people to remain indoors as the virus spread with ease and had life-threatening effects on humans. As a result, the safe option was to avoid contact with each other.
All of this was very unusual for tennis players as the season goes on for pretty much the entire year. From traveling throughout the year to staying confined to their homes was a rather drastic change for them. But many players used this opportunity to learn something new.
During the Dubai Duty-Free event, the Austrian player fulfilled professional commitments. He participated in a question-and-answer round and revealed interesting facts regarding the activities he’d done during the lockdown. Thiem stated that he learned to cook and intended to learn the Spanish language.
Reflecting on the current season, the 27-year-old player has not started on a great note. At the Australian Open, he registered an impressive win over homeboy Nick Kyrgios. After that, he lost in the next round to Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov. His next stop was in Doha and similar to Dubai, his journey did not last long.

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Dominic Thiem of Austria returns the ball during his Men’s Singles final match against and Alexander Zverev of Germany on Day Fourteen of the 2020 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
In the previous season, the Austrian player displayed top-quality tennis. He won his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open. During that match, he fought back from being two sets down and turned the match in his favor.
With the absence of Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal at the Miami Open this year, Thiem can make the most of the situation and taste his first bit of success in the current season.
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