Dominic Thiem seems to be on a comeback mission, currently participating in the Swiss Open in Gstaad. Ranked No.94 in the world, the Austrian star has been struggling with injuries since years but has found his inspiration. And while Rafael Nadal has always been one of his idols, when it comes to dealing with and beating injuries, he looks to a different Grand Slam champion for inspiration. Most recently, he was down with a painful wrist injury on his right hand. In a recent interview, Thiem talked about the impact Stan Wawrinka has had on his career.
Thiem is of the opinion that Wawrinka is relatable than all other players he has played against, such as Rafael Nadal when it comes to dealing with injuries. This is a massive claim but the US Open 2020 winner has his reasoning.
‘Rafael Nadal Always Won Again’: Dominic Thiem
As they became more battle-hardened and older with age, both Stan Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal started getting affected with different forms of injuries. Wawrinka suffered multiple injuries on his back, hamstrings, knees and feet over the years which made him miss several marquee competitions, including Grand Slams. As a result, the Swiss star fell out of the top 300 of the ATP rankings at one point of his career.
On the other hand, Rafael Nadal too has had a difficult time with physical ailments from a young age having been diagnosed with the Mueller-Weiss syndrome when he turned 18, which basically cripples both the feet. Currently, he is out of action due to a hip injury and will only be back at the start of the 2024 season. Both the players have managed to always get back to professional tennis from these disasters which could have ended their careers easily. However, while Thiem and Wawrinka have so far struggled to impress, Nadal has always adapted way quicker to win tournaments on most courts and venues frequently.
Dominic Thiem, while acknowledging Rafael Nadal’s greatness and talent, indirectly meant that a player like him is a rarity, but that does not make him a role model in his eyes. Thiem was quoted as saying to a German publication –
“You orientate yourself on players who have gone through something similar. Wawrinka was probably more impressive to me than the others. He was already 37 years old when he came back and had to endure a serious knee operation before. His resilience, the will to invest so much in tennis again after all his successes but also the problems he had, was and still is very inspiring for me. I look up to him because he has to overcome great resistance. Rafael Nadal, for example, always won as soon as he was back on the court. The path Stan walked is closer to me than Rafa’s.”
Can Nadal win a Grand Slam again in 2024?
Rafael Nadal’s hip injury is extremely serious, which perhaps arose out of the 2022 season where he seemed to have outdone himself in terms of pushing it to the physical brink. The 22-time Grand Slam champion officially announced a few months back that the 2024 season would very well be his last on the ATP Tour. That maybe the case indeed if he does not win a Grand Slam, with his last win coming at his beloved venue, Roland Garros in Paris, which was 13 months ago.
Fellow Spaniard and close friend, Feliciano Lopez recently said in an interview that Nadal’s real target is regaining the French Open crown next year and that is his biggest yardstick to decide if he can play in the 2025 season as well. Being ranked World No. 136 now and being aged 37 does not help Nadal, according to his uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal. But as many tennis enthusiasts know, anyone who writes off the former World No.1, has had to always take their words back since he has time and again proven his critics wrong.
