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2020 has been a testing year for everybody, but Dominic Thiem seems unfazed by all the challenges as he has put together an incredible season. His father, Wolfgang Thiem, has now revealed that the current World No. 3 was never pushed to go the extra mile as a child.
In an interview with L'Equipe, Wolfgang asserted that Dominic Thiem always had the motivation to work hard no matter how tough the situation got. He further added that he and his wife did not project their son to be a tennis star, even though they were professional coaches themselves.
Dominic Thiem's father lauds the 27-year-old's 'get-up-and-go' approach
Dominic Thiem has achieved extraordinary success on the tour this year. The 27-year-old won the US Open and reached the quarterfinals of the French Open as well as the Vienna Open, in addition to making the final of the Australian Open earlier in the year.
On Saturday, Thiem beat World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in an intense semifinal to secure his berth in the summit clash of the Nitto ATP Finals 2020. Despite being 0-4 down in the third-set tiebreaker, Dominic Thiem bounced back and sealed the deal with a 7-5 tiebreaker win.
That love for competition and for putting in the hard yards were always a part of Thiem, as his father explained.
"I never pushed him! I have always known him as motivated and joyful. He never asked how long a workout would last, just because he loved it," Wolfgang Thiem said.
Dominic Thiem's 'never say die' attitude has won him quite a few high-profile matches. Earlier this year, Thiem won the US Open final despite losing the first two sets of the match to Alexander Zverev.
His father went on to say that he and his wife never put the 2020 Australian Open runner-up under the burden of expectations during the early phase of his career.
"Dominic was always with us because my parents were still working. Every time there was a free moment, he would come with us on the court. We were not like typical Russian parents with the American dream and the idea of bringing your child to the Bollettieri Academy to become a star. We had no particular expectations," Wolfgang Thiem said.
Dominic Thiem will go up against former US Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev in the final of the season-ending event on Sunday. Even though he seemed to have tired himself out in the semifinals, Thiem is being backed by many to prevail in the last match of 2020.
