Thiem defends flat performance with 'I'm not a robot'

Dominic Thiem came out very flat against Grigor Dimitrov at the Australian Open and lost in straight sets which surprised many.

It was not a great day at the office for Dominic Thiem who bombed out of the Grand Slam following a 4-6 4-6 0-6 defeat at the hands of Grigor Dimitrov. It came as a surprise to many that he fell without any real fight and when asked after the match for the reasons behind it he explained it as a combination of things:

“I think a combination of some things, some little physical issues, plus a really bad day, plus the fact that, well, he's a great player. So a combination of those three things, and a result like that can happen."

He continued by saying that he didn't want to look for excuses:

“I don't want to find any excuses, but the thing also is that I'm also not a machine. I mean, sometimes I would like to be, but there are really, really bad days. As soon as you're not 100 per cent there on the court on this level, then results like this come up.”

It was a disappointing thing for Thiem who won the last Grand Slam that he competed in which was his first. Many wondered if he could do it again at this one but it turned out differently. Asked about his US Open victory, Thiem said:

“It was great for some days, but the tennis world goes on so fast, and I think for everybody and also for myself, on the court it was forgotten already at the French Open and doesn't really affect me anymore, especially now that it's four or five months gone.”

A tough break for Thiem but he will certainly bounce back as many great players often do. You can check out the full press conference below: