Thiem Tried Everything to Keep Going in Paris
By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday, October 6, 2020Dominic Thiem tried to do everything in his power to extend his career-best Grand Slam winning streak in Paris today, but in the end the 2020 US Open champion just didn’t have enough left in his tank to fight off Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman.
The Austrian, who saw his 11-match winning streak snapped, 7-6(1), 5-6, 6-7(6), 7-6(5), 6-2, on Tuesday on Court Philippe Chatrier in Paris, says he even tried something he had never done before to stay fresh through the fatigue this year at Roland Garros.Thiem, who played back-to-back five-setters over the last two rounds, said he took a full day off before his round of 16 match with Hugo Gaston of France.“I just tried to do everything I could, like in the days off, to recover,” he said after the match. “Tried something also new, which I've [never] done before. For example, before the round of 16 I did nothing the whole day. Just to try to be on 100 percent again.”Thiem, who failed to reach the last four in Paris for the first time since 2015, says he felt that if he had won today he would have been in good enough form to play the semifinals in Paris, especially after two days rest.“I was doing it quite well I have the feeling,” he said. “Also today I still could play at quite a high level for more than five hours. But, I mean, he was keeping it up until the end. He was probably a little bit fresher than me in the fifth set, so that's why he won.”In the end the Austrian says that he has happy for his friend Schwartzman. The Argentinian, who reached his first major semifinal, has always had a close relationship with Thiem.“I'm super disappointed that I lost, that I didn't make the semis this year,” he said. “But at the same time I'm happy for him. He really deserves it. It's an amazing achievement by him to break into the top 10 for the first time in the career. As I said, I'm happy for him. Maybe to lose against a friend hurts a little bit less.” ]]>
