Tennis crisis

Ofner: “Thiem is going through a difficult phase”

Sebastian Ofner (left) and Dominic Thiem

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Following his three-set defeat at the Masters 1000 tennis tournament in Miami, Sebastian Ofner was asked to comment on Dominic Thiem's current situation. The 2020 US Open winner recently lost 2:6, 1:6 to his compatriot Lukas Neumayer at a Challenger in Zadar. "I think he's going through a difficult phase," Ofner said about Thiem.

If he writes to him, then something positive. "Otherwise I think he needs to find himself."

The stablemates were last at the same event at the Davis Cup in Ireland at the beginning of February. Ofner then spent time on a South/Central American tour and now in the USA, where he is still involved in doubles in Miami. Before Zadar, Thiem made an opening exit at a Challenger in Szekesfehervar, and after withdrawing from a Naples Challenger, he will not return to the tour on clay until the beginning of April. Thiem has called for Estoril, while Ofner has the tournament in Marrakesh on his schedule at the same time.

No advice for former world-class players
The two will therefore probably only meet again in the course of the rest of the European clay court season. Ofner is therefore obviously in the dark about Thiem's current state of mind. "It's always difficult to say because you never know what's going on inside a player. But I don't think you need to give advice to a former world-class player," explained the Styrian.

Regardless of this, he believes the 30-year-old can make the leap back to the big tournaments: "In any case, Dominic was a world-class player. If he finds his level again, he can definitely play in the big tournaments again."