"Helping me a lot": Thiem credits work with sports psychologist as part of resurgence

Former World No.3 Dominic Thiem has been struggling to regain his form following a slew of injuries, but the Austrian believes his work with a sports psychologist has assisted greatly with his comeback.

Currently ranked at World No.106, Thiem will return to the top 100 next week. This will allow him to enter the Roland Garros main-draw without a wildcard, and the 29-year old credits his resurgence in part to working with a sports psychologist.

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"I’m working with somebody (a sports psychologist), which is helping me a lot,” he said in an interview with Tennis Majors. “Because you’re by yourself on court, but you practice everything, you practice your tennis, you practice your fitness, you have a physio that takes care of your body, so it’s not really understandable why it’s still tough to talk about. I would say it’s very normal to work with a mental coach or a sports psychologist.

“That’s the way it should be, and not only in sports, but in life in general.”

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Sports psychologists were once a taboo in tennis, but are now more widely used thanks to the awareness raised by Naomi Osaka. Several tennis stars, including Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, have openly spoked about receiving help for the mental side of the sport.