"The goal is to regain my best level by the end of the season" - says Dominic Thiem

Dominic Thiem finally got some wins last week in Bastad and he's looking to build upon that result in Gstaad on clay.

Clay is Thiem's best and favourite surface and he's proven many times in the past why that he is. He played in the Roland Garros final against Nadal two years in a row but was unable to win either. He did get his grand slam in New York in 2020 and he's hopeful to be in peak form for it again.

For now, he's in Gstaad working on getting into peak form and a good start was made in Bastad last week:

“The win felt very good and it was much needed. The ATP Challenger [Tour] event in Salzburg the week before was also a step in the right direction, with a win there and with a tight loss in the next round. I felt there was a big improvement compared to Roland Garros and the other tournaments. Crucially, I was able to back it up in Bastad with two very good wins against two Top 50 opponents, so that was very good and amazing for my confidence. It is way more fun to win some matches and build some momentum and confidence, and that is exactly what I am going to take forward.”

Thiem also admitted how hard it was to deal with one loss afer another:

“Mentally it was not easy. After Roland Garros, I sat down with my team and said I needed another training block to get back to the basics and get somewhere close to my old level. Now it is getting nicer again. It was not that nice in the spring. It is very tough if you lose and go to the practice court for five days and then the next match you lose again. It is very tough.”

On Gstaad, Thiem said:

“The main goal is to regain my best level by the end of the season. To play the way I was before when I step on court. To think I am able to win against any opponent. That is not going to happen now or probably by the US Open, but by the end of the year, that is the goal."