Dominic Thiem seeks another Major title in 2021

World no. 3 Dominic Thiem arrived in Adelaide for a two-week quarantine ahead of the ATP Cup and the Australian Open, sharing the flight with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

The Austrian had an intense pre-season, feeling ready to chase the Australian Open title, the one he barely missed a year ago when he led two sets to one in the final against Novak Djokovic. Thiem is thrilled about the beginning of the season, hoping that everything will get back to normal by the summer and that both players and fans could enjoy tennis like they used to before the pandemic.

"Happy New Year! This is just a short update on my way to Australia. After a pit-stop in Barcelona, a long flight is ahead of me - and there are some tennis stars on the passenger list. In addition to my team, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are on board, and, of course, not to forget, my pal and sparring partner Dennis Novak.

In 2014 I played my first Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne after going through the qualifying rounds, even though I lost to Kevin Anderson in the second round. During the holidays, I grabbed an old match shirt from the closet to take a colorful picture with different Adidas shirts.

It reminded me of some great moments in my career, and the Australian Open plays a major part. After beating Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev, I reached my third Major-final in "down under." Even though I lost to Novak Djokovic in the final, it was an epic fight. What are my expectations for this year? First, I will work at a training camp in Adelaide with Novak and "Rafa "to fine-tune my tennis; at the ATP-Cup, I want to boost my self-confidence.

For the beginning of the season, I must be at 100%. I proved last year that I like the conditions in Melbourne. My wish for 2021 is to win a second Major title. By the way, there are also some private news. Never had I thought that my Instagram picture together with Lili would cause such hype. Within a few hours, I had requests for interviews from Germany and Austria, which I had to turn down, though.

My private life shall remain private; however, I'll tell my fans that much: I first met Lili in Vienna. We get along well, we can laugh together, and we enjoyed the few days together we have had so far.
Yours, Dominic Thiem."