“Olympic Games Don’t Really Count That Much in Tennis”: Wolfgang Thiem Surprised with Dominic Thiem’s Decision

After the 2020 tennis season resumed, current World No. 3 Dominic Thiem finally broke the ice and went on to lift his first-ever Grand Slam title, the US Open 2020 trophy. Amongst the next generation stars, the Austrian is the first man to win a major.

Considering the pandemic, the Wimbledon and Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 were forced to be postponed until next year. 

Wolfgang Thiem: Winning a Slam has eased Dominic Thiem

Dominic Thiem’s father, Wolfgang Thiem, was astounded when Dominic expressed his desire to play at the Olympics. The senior Thiem stated, “He wants to play the Olympics, that was his express wish. It surprised me too, but it could be that with the Grand Slam victory he is a little freer and also focuses on things like that.”

(Quotes have been translated)

Once a player wins a Grand Slam title, the burden or pressure on them reduces. Dominic could be feeling the same way. In the past, the US Open champion has skipped the Olympic Games in 2016 for reasons other than injuries. 

However, things are different for the Austrian now and he is looking forward to playing the Olympics in 2024 in Paris. His father is of the opinion that tennis doesn’t matter all that much at the Olympic Games. Wolfgang said, “Olympic Games don’t really count that much in tennis, but he has to decide that.”

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The Olympic Games are usually scheduled just after Wimbledon and before the US Open. In the past, Thiem has preferred playing the ATP event in his hometown in Austria, and players usually favor a Grand Slam title over an Olympic medal.