ROLAND GARROS

October 2, 2020

Dominic Thiem

Press Conference

D. THIEM/C. Ruud

6-4, 6-3, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You're playing incredibly well but you have also played a long time and you have heavy, wet conditions. How do you feel about the fifth set tiebreaker at Roland Garros? Do you support it?

DOMINIC THIEM: Actually, I like it how it is now, that every Grand Slam has different ending to the fifth set.

For me, it would be fine if it stays like that, because anyway on clay it's more possible that at one point break is gonna happen. I guess we'll never see a 70-68 like in Wimbledon.

Like it is now, every single slam has something different. I think it's good stuff.

Q. I just wanted to ask about the first set. He seemed to really push you in that first set. Did it take you a little bit of time to work him out?

DOMINIC THIEM: I think that he was playing well from beginning to the end basically. I really raised my level. Maybe the first four games were not as good as the rest of the match by me, but he's a really good player, especially on clay, probably one of the best of the season. I guess if we give him one more year, then he's going to be super dangerous.

Here in Roland Garros I think that also the wet, slow conditions suited me a little bit more than him. But in general I was super happy with my performance. I think was one of the best ones this year.

Q. You played I think 27 consecutive Grand Slam main draws since you got started in '14. My question is about what Feliciano Lopez has done over the last 18 1/2 years. He's now playing his 74th consecutive main draw. Can you comment on that longevity and professionalism, if you see that as something special or how you view that type of a record? He's the all-time leader, by the way.

DOMINIC THIEM: Yeah, I mean, that is an unreal achievement by him. But, I mean, he's I think turning 39 or turned already 39 this year. If you look at his body, it's a joke how he takes care of it, how he looks in general, so fit. I think he never had any bigger injuries in his career.

As I said, if you look at his fitness, if you look at how he works, how he eats and everything, I mean, he's doing everything for that. So he deserves it. The slam record is unreal, as I said.

Q. Interesting to hear you speak about how weird it is to wake up for work and it's still dark outside. People have written songs about Paris in the springtime, of course. Is there anything to be said about Roland Garros in autumn?

DOMINIC THIEM: Well, I mean, it's strange to wake up for a match in Roland Garros and that it's still dark. I mean, if you play in Bercy, they start even earlier, and then you wake up at 7:00. I mean, it's normal that it's dark. Here normally in May it's time where there is so much daylight during the day, and if you wake up for a match at 11:00, it's completely daylight already.

But today I was waking up at 7:00, and everything dark. I was remembered in my school time, actually.

It's interesting. It shows how special and how unusual everything is in this year and in general.

Q. Yesterday Denis Shapovalov and Stefanos Tsitsipas said that they would like to be able to use Hawk-Eye system on clay. I would like to know what you think about the Hawk-Eye system on clay and what you think about the Foxteen system that was used in Rio this year?

DOMINIC THIEM: I would support 100% Hawk-Eye on clay, because at the match from Denis against Roberto yesterday there was a mistake, and then today in my match there was a mistake in my favor actually. Casper showed me the mark on his phone after the match in the first game of the second set.

I mean, it's not the umpire's mistake, because sometimes you just cannot see the mark. It's too difficult, especially after the set break, because they clean the court, they brush the lines, so it's almost impossible to see where the mark starts.

So I think it would be fair for everybody if Hawk-Eye would also exist on clay. So I think we should make it happen. And the system, the Foxteen system in Rio, it worked out very well. I played I think three matches with that one in Rio, and there were not any issues.

So I hope that next year we will have it in every clay court tournament.

Q. I wanted to know how you manage to rest and how do you feel physically?

DOMINIC THIEM: Basically I feel fine. Of course I start to feel all the last weeks physically, also emotionally. I really love this tournament, and I would love to go deep to play well. I do everything to get a good recovery.

Today I had an early match. That is good, so I think I'm going to have more than 48 hours to rest. So try to put easy but good practice in tomorrow and two good treatments with my physio. Good food, good sleep. Then put everything I have into the match on Sunday.