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Dominic Thiem surprised many fans with his decision to pull out from the Monte Carlo Masters - the first big claycourt event of 2021. While Thiem himself asserted he was skipping the tournament as he hadn't yet reached peak physical shape for the clay season, recent reports suggest the Austrian is not even thinking about competitive tennis right now.
According to Krone, Dominic Thiem hasn't picked up a racket since he lost to Lloyd Harris in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships. The report further suggests that the 27-year-old is relishing his time off the court, and that he has been busy meeting some of his friends.
Dominic Thiem, who ordinarily has a packed tournament schedule at this time of the year, is supposedly trying to keep his mind away from tennis right now. He has also been able to make some time for his dog Hugo, who recently attracted a lot of infamy for his tendency to kill the World No. 4's pet chickens.
The German tabloid was also able to reach Dominic Thiem's father Wolfgang for his comments on his son's mindset right now. Wolfgang claimed that the 27-year-old needed a fresh perspective on his career before returning to the tour, while also revealing that he hadn't watched a single match from the ongoing Miami Open.
"He (Dominic Thiem) needs recovery for the head, to free his mind," Wolfgang said. "I don't think he watched the tournament in Miami. He'll start training again in the next days."
Dominic Thiem has struggled to find his best in 2021
Dominic Thiem played five tournaments after the tour resumption in 2020, winning his maiden Slam title at the US Open and producing deep showings in three other tournaments. But since the start of the year, he has been a pale shadow of his usual self.
Thiem went 1-1 at the season-opening ATP Cup, before suffering a lopsided defeat to Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round of the Australian Open. The Austrian then traveled to the Middle East for the Doha and Dubai tournaments, but was handed early exits at both places.
With a right foot issue troubling him on and off since Vienna last year, Dominic Thiem pulled out of the Miami Open before starting his claycourt preparations. But now that he has withdrawn from Monte Carlo too, it remains to be seen when the World No. 4 will be able to produce his best on the court again.
Thiem is scheduled to play the Serbia Open starting from 19 April, followed by the Madrid and Rome Masters. He would be hoping to use his current time off the court to regain his mojo in time for Roland Garros, where he has been denied by King of Clay Rafael Nadal several times in the last half decade.
