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ROLAND GARROS

June 2, 2016

Dominic Thiem

Paris, France

D. THIEM/D. Goffin

4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-11

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. You seemed very calm, even after you won the match today. Is that because you are focusing on next match already, or you just beat your good friend, Goffin?
DOMINIC THIEM: I think it was emotional enough during the game so now I can be calm. Yeah, of course, I'm still focused, but it was a good and very intense match.

Q. Yesterday you said that you're too young to consider Muster or Skoff your idols, so I'd like to know who was your sport idol when you were a kid?
DOMINIC THIEM: I didn't have one specific idol, but I just enjoyed watching tennis. I was watching almost every match. So, yeah, I admired a lot of players and I tried to take the best shots from each of them.

Yeah, I just enjoyed to watch tennis in general.

Q. What do you expect in semifinal tomorrow against Novak?
DOMINIC THIEM: Well, I mean, it's gonna be unbelievably tough. I think he's a little bit on a different level than all the other players, but still I'm in good shape and the match starts at 0-0.

Everything I can do is give all I have, give my best, and then we will see what happens.

Q. For someone who has beaten Rafa Nadal on clay; the ^ to beat also Novak Djokovic exists. Do you think about things like that? And also, I'd like to know if you ever had doubts when you were a kid when you were playing with one-hand backhand, if someone was telling you, Oh, you should play with two-hand backhand because everybody does, or not?
DOMINIC THIEM: Well, about tomorrow, I don't think anything now. I'm going to do it like the whole tournament: I just go out, I will give my best, and focus 100%. Then I will see the outcome.

Yeah, for sure, there were moments where I had doubts about my one-handed backhand, but still, at the end it was the right choice.

Q. Where it comes from, your one-handed backhand? It's impressive for most people.
DOMINIC THIEM: Well, it's only thing, only one thing where it comes from, and that's a lot of hours hard practice.

Q. In terms of the match today, obviously you were close to going two sets down. What do you feel helped you turn it around?
DOMINIC THIEM: Honestly in the second set -- honestly in the whole second set I didn't really think that I'm going to win this match, because, yeah, he was just on top of me. He was the better player the first two sets maybe, or until the tiebreak.

I didn't know what to do because he was returning well. He didn't do any mistakes. Then I think the tiebreak was one of the highest level I was ever playing. Then things kind of turned around.

But, yeah, I doubted when I would go 2-0 sets down that I would have won the match.

Q. A little off tennis. With the Euro Cup next week, do you have a favorite or how do you think Austria will fare in the Euro Cup?
DOMINIC THIEM: Of course Austria is my favorite (Smiling.) I'm really happy that they are again in a big tournament; I'm already looking forward when it starts.

So there's something to do the whole day. Watching football all the day long.

Q. When you decided to go with coach Bresnik, it was because you knew what he had done? Did you know him personally? He came to you? You went to him? Your parents, whatever?
DOMINIC THIEM: I couldn't decide it because I was like nine years old. (Smiling.) So, yeah, I think it was together from him and from my father the decision. Like my father just went to him and he asked him if he can take a look on me, on his little son. That's what he did, and everything developed.

Yeah, back then I didn't really know what's happening.

Q. I don't think anybody likes to play in the rain, but in this particular match against Goffin on the clay, do you think rain helped you a little bit?
DOMINIC THIEM: Well, I think it's not his best conditions and it's not my best conditions, so maybe it was 50/50.

But, yeah, still it's strange. It's beginning of June and it's like 11 degrees and rain. Yeah, I think it was really tough conditions for both of us. Yeah, for first two sets for sure he handled it better, and then with this very special tiebreak things turned around and I start to get on better with the conditions.

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