Muster on Thiem: “A lot has been screwed up”

Austria’s first individual Grand Slam winner took a long time at a Viennese wine tavern on Wednesday evening to take stock of his red-white-red successor as major champion. The bottom line: things are looking up, he even trusts Thiem in Paris, depending on the draw, to a round of 16, but he also made a lot of mistakes.

Thiem’s ​​change of coach from Nicolas Massu to the German Benjamin Ebrahimzadeh, which took place a few weeks ago, should have happened earlier for the 55-year-old ex-world number one. “I think the step was too late. I would have done it after the end of the season because it has now proven to be the right step for him. But preparations could probably have been made in winter.” Muster believes that things could have gone better earlier. “But afterwards you’re always smarter. But it has often been proven that Dominic is not the most decisive person. I think there have certainly been catastrophic decisions over the last three years, which he also partially admitted, but you are just be as smart as you are at that moment.”

“Trust him the first 30 this year”

However, Muster not only looked back, but also into the future. “He still has a few years ahead of him. It’s important for him to continue doing it this way. I trust him with the first 40, first 30 this year if he stays healthy and it continues to work like this.” Muster, who continues to act as a tournament ambassador for the Erste Bank Open at the Wiener Stadthalle, claimed he had watched every single match of Thiem in the past three years.

It could also go relatively quickly again. “If you have the skills, that means you’re physically fit. And I doubt it’s been like that until now, even if it’s been said so over and over again.” For a long time, Thiem was “not match-fit”. Recently, under the new coach, he saw that training had resumed after a defeat. “Maybe it took the bottom to actually say I have to go the way, or there isn’t one anymore. The impasse was obvious.”

New playstyle

Muster answered APA’s question as to whether Thiem would also have to change his playing style to return to his old heights. “Absolutely, you can’t win a match six meters behind the baseline because the distances are too long and the regeneration isn’t getting any better. But that comes with self-confidence, with winning matches, etc. There were already approaches in Madrid, you need the shots , to be able to play that too. You need the match fitness to be able to play that in a Grand Slam for two weeks.”

Muster also has a personal history with Thiem: At the beginning of January 2020, a collaboration as an additional coach for 20 weeks was agreed. But the pact between the two ended just 17 days later, before the third round match at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Thiem did not like Muster’s rather blunt manner, the 29-year-old from Lower Austria then stormed into the final of the Australian Open for the first time.

Muster no longer bears any grudges, but follows the career of the former world number three with a critical eye. Not only in terms of game tactics does Muster have something to criticize. “A lot has been screwed up in three years. Again and again comeback announcements, then he was never really match-fit. I can’t judge the other motives – whether it’s right now that Moritz is his manager doesn’t matter, his Decision.”

“The US Open happened to Dominic”

In March of the previous year, Muster already believed it would happen again. “But the truth is, and he admitted it to himself, he wasn’t sure if that’s what he wanted anymore. I know that, you get to an age where you say there are other things in life. When you “You don’t play tennis because you’re injured. You have to reinvent yourself in your head to tackle it again. You can’t do that while walking, even a comeback is very stressful, physically intensive, and time-consuming. You have to get those repetition numbers back in, it has to settle in, coupled with tournament success.”

He himself had a total failure in 1991 and then needed three years until he “got the curve”. Muster can somehow understand the lack of hunger for success after a big title.

“For me it was in the last impression of my career and that was expected. We would have expected him to win Paris the most. I’ll say casually, the US Open passed Dominic – he played well, everything worked. Something happens that you didn’t expect and earlier. Then you have to learn to deal with it and say, now more than ever, and that didn’t happen.”

Court placement as potential for improvement

Even before Thiem’s ​​injury, things had gone downhill in terms of play and results. Where does Muster see the most potential for improvement at Thiem in the observation of past tournaments? “The court placement – amazing. Thank God there are no longer linesmen at the back of many tournaments.” The 44-time ATP winner addresses Thiem’s ​​very defensive placement far behind the baseline. “That was partly better against Tsitsipas (in Madrid, note).”

Why is Muster Thiem’s ​​career following? “Because it interests me personally, because at the time I wouldn’t have said for any other player that I’d do it. I’ve had a lot of offers, I did it for Dominic. I usually look at it very critically, what would I do as a coach or as a player? Watching some games is really like getting plastic flowers for Mother’s Day.”

Muster does not understand the discussion about a mental coach. “It depends on the receptivity. I can take the best mental coach if I don’t listen to them.” For Muster, “it can only get better, it couldn’t have gotten any worse.”

“A boost will come”

Despite all the criticism, Muster does not see the train leaving for the next four or five years. Also not in the direction of the Grand Slam title? “It won’t get any easier, the Roland Garros opportunities are left out, but it was also a difficult final,” said Muster, referring to the two final defeats in 2018 and 2019 against Rafael Nadal. “I don’t have a crystal ball, but it’s possible, as others have shown.”

Ultimately, the eight-time Masters 1000 winner believes that there will be a boost in the next “weeks, months”. Endurance and intensity are getting better.” Maybe even at the French Open already? “Who says they don’t take one out in the first or second round. I think he’s capable of a round of 16 if he gets over the first seed, depending on the draw, maybe a quarter-finals, who knows.”

The assessment of the pattern about Thiem’s ​​backhand comes as a bit of a surprise. He recently ran around the backhand more, and the Styrian sees that positively. “Everyone always said how great his backhand is. I still say it’s his weak point, even if the backhand longline is this dream shot.”