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NITTO ATP FINALS

November 14, 2019

Dominic Thiem

London, England, United Kingdom

M. BERRETTINI/D. Thiem

7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Were you feeling the effects of the long match with Djokovic, or was it something about Berrettini that troubled you today?
DOMINIC THIEM: I think of course I felt a little bit the two first matches, and then also it's a bit of a tricky situation to know that I'm already through. So all the attention, the adrenaline is set down a little bit.

Of course I was still trying to win that match 100%, but also, in the same time, I knew in my head that I have to take care for Saturday, because obviously it's the way more important match there.

It's also after a long season, so I really try to get the body going 100% for Saturday, and wouldn't be that smart if I would have another three hours' match today.

Q. What about Matteo? How did he play today?
DOMINIC THIEM: We had three great matches in the last month or last month and a half. Still, I think that today was maybe even the weakest from these three.

We had a great one in Shanghai. We had a great one in Vienna and also here. Of course it affected a little bit that both of us, we couldn't do anything about the standings in the group anymore.

Q. I know you have been struggling with your health throughout the year with that virus. Are you feeling well from that? You sound actually a little bit sick right now. Are you healthy, or...
DOMINIC THIEM: Yeah, I'm sounding like that since before the first match, actually. Of course it's always a little bit risky time that time of the year. When it's cold outside, you go in, it's hot, all these changes and everything.

So I'm not 100%, but it didn't affect me in these three matches. That's why I also really need to be careful, because, well, I really hope I have two more matches so I can give all that I have and my own 100% in the remaining two matches.

Q. Looking forward to the weekend, as much of an achievement it would be to win this event, also, do you see it as a steppingstone, the size of this title, to other things you want to go on in your career starting in January?
DOMINIC THIEM: I think that maybe this tournament is the most difficult to win, because you have to beat five top 10 guys in a row. Okay, you can afford to lose one match maybe, but still, that's why I'm 100% sure that if you win this title you can win, as well, any other title.

That's why, I mean, I don't know it because I haven't done it yet, but I think that if you win this title, it gives you a lot, a lot of confidence for especially of course Australia, because it's the closest, but for the full next year.

Q. I read an interview with you before this tournament in which you gave your thoughts on doping in tennis. You thought it's fairly clean and that you'd put your hand on fire for all the top players you know. Can I ask why you're so confident that tennis is free of doping?
DOMINIC THIEM: First of all, because myself, I get tested so often. And then also I see all the other top guys getting tested that often. That's the first thing why I'm sure.

And the second thing is because we are still playing a ball game, and I mean, it matters how fit you are, how fast you're running, but still, the most important is how you hit the ball and how you play the game and that you cannot effect with any medication. If you could, it would be very nice, but there is no such substance existing.

Q. Just to ask as a general query to find out the level of testing in tennis, how many times you have been tested, say, for example, in the last month?
DOMINIC THIEM: Last month I think, like, four or five times. In Paris, then here after the match against Novak, and then at home two or three times. That's probably also the average, like, once a week, yeah. Too often (smiling).

Q. A lot of players have routines or little things they go through before they serve. For example, Sascha pulls his shirt up after every point. You do the little flick with the ball. Can you remember when you started doing that? What would happen if you didn't do it?
DOMINIC THIEM: I think it's not possible anymore that I don't do it, because it's so much in my system, so automatic that I do it before every single serve.

I cannot even remember the time when I didn't do it, so must be four or five years minimum. Everybody has it, because it just helps. It can be very rough outside on the court, very lonely, very long, so it's nice to have some little things which are really automatic and which are always working.

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