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Thiem Celebrates Laureus Nomination And Targets Nadal at French Open

“Rafa’s definitely the guy to beat. It would be one of the biggest challenges in sport to beat Nadal at Roland Garros so that’s why I would love to do it,” says Dominic Thiem.
World No.3 Dominic Thiem celebrated his Nomination for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award by recalling how he used to watch the Laureus Awards Ceremony on TV in Austria when he was younger.

“The Laureus Awards has been a big thing for me for a long time,” Thiemsaid.

In a wide-ranging interview with Laureus.com, Thiem relives his amazing win in the US Open in September, which played a large part in earninghim his nomination, and looks ahead to the French Open which he says is his biggest goal of the year.
Among his comments in the interview are:

• On his US Open victory, where he came back from two sets down to win the final: “It was unbelievable pressure because I wanted this big title so much. I wasn’t playing too good and I wasn’t feeling too good in the bubble, so for me it was amazing to experience how I turned things around.“

• On the upcoming French Open: “To win is such a huge thing, it’s a career goal, it’s my biggest goal as well for this year. I know everything has to work 100% otherwise it’s not going to happen.“

Thiem is a passionate believer that sportsmen and women should use their positions of influence to achieve change, particularly with the environment. He says:

• “We are idols for many kids and if we do the right things I think many people want to follow that. It’s definitely something we have to do. That’s one purpose we have and we have to use that. One of the biggest issues we have right now is plastic in the ocean. I think it’s a real problem.“

As a supporter of English Premier League team Chelsea, he also has views on the sacking of Frank Lampard?

• “The first jersey I got from Chelsea had his name on the back and he was always my favorite player. I was so happy when he got manager. I was super sad when he left, but probably it was the right thing and he is still so young I hope he can develop as a coach and then maybe he can come back.“