THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 5, 2023

Dominic Thiem

Press Conference

S. TSITSIPAS/D. Thiem

3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-7, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Just give us your initial thoughts on today's match, if you would.

DOMINIC THIEM: Yeah, obviously it was a great encounter, and to me, I'm leaving with heads up. Kind of showed me that I'm still there. The quality was very, very good. The fighting spirit was really, really good.

Yeah, this match showed me a lot of good things that I'm still here, still able to compete with the big boys of the game.

Yeah, obviously it's tough, but, well, tiebreak in the fifth is like a penalty shootout. All credit to him as well how he played in the breaker, and how he saved that breakpoint in the fifth was just unbelievable.

Yeah, that's it. That's my thoughts.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. You said that it reminded you you can play with the big boys. Did you feel like you needed that reminder?

DOMINIC THIEM: Yeah, of course. I needed that, because today also somehow felt different than in Madrid, for example, because the quality was really there today.

Everything, you know, not only the tennis but how I was feeling on the court in general was just how it should be, you know, and that what makes me happy also looking to the next weeks. Also, obviously the last weeks since Paris were tough, not good at all tennis-wise.

So here I am, you know, losing 6-7 in the fifth, playing a very good match, fighting unbelievable. Yeah, it shows me that I'm here, that I'm able to do very good things still. Also motivates me for the upcoming weeks.

Q. Obviously you have been kind of, since the wrist injury, you've been rebuilding your forehand. Curious how happy you were with that shot today? I thought you hit it very well.

DOMINIC THIEM: Yeah, definitely was completely normal. I just remember this one game, I think it was 4-5 in the fifth or something with three winners on very difficult balls, so that's one more piece of today's matches that the forehand is here as well.

Again, just my challenges to bring everything on the table what I brought today and also in the next tournaments and in every single match.

Q. Is it significant that you have discovered your mojo for grass, which is considered your least-favorite surface?

DOMINIC THIEM: Not really, because I had to find my mojo, and it doesn't really matter where, which surface or which level, if it's a Grand Slam or a challenger. Doesn't really matter.

Today definitely I found it, and I'm hoping to keep it as well, you know, on any level, on any surface.

The way I played and the way I stepped on court today, that's just the only way it should be. Yeah, I'm trying and working hard to keep it like that on all the remaining year.

Q. What were your emotions like during the match? You spoke of obviously you felt the quality was higher. It was clearly emotional, even just being in the stands, definitely for you. When you're feeling those things going well, do you have to work to stay steady? What was that like today?

DOMINIC THIEM: Yeah, the focus was good all match long, but one thing on grass, it's pretty easy to keep emotions low, because there are many games where there are no chances for the return of serve.

Obviously at 4-All, 5-All in the fifth, there is a big chance that emotions run high, but in those games, for example, I didn't have any chance to break. You know, he was serving great. So that keeps the emotions low automatically. That's a thing of the surface grass, I guess. That's how all the match was going. Then obviously in the tiebreak it was high all the time.

Q. One of the special or unusual elements of the contest today was seeing you two exchanging single-handed backhands. I just wonder, is there any kind of a recognition or respect amongst sort of the small group of you now who are playing the shot that way, that it's kind of special and different and rather beautiful?

DOMINIC THIEM: Yeah, it's getting less and less obviously. That's why it's not happening that often to face a player with a one-handed backhand.

If I'm not wrong this year, I only played Stefanos with a one-handed backhand.

Q. Gasquet.

DOMINIC THIEM: And Gasquet, right.

There are less and less players in the top 100, obviously. There are some advantages when you have the two-handed, so I guess it's going further in that direction that more and more players will play two-handed. Maybe at one point one-hand goes to extinction. Who knows? So it's nice that we still keep it alive.