His Grandma Sold Her Apartment To Finance His Career… Dominic Thiem Talks Life After Tennis

Dominic Thiem’s grandmother sold her apartment in Vienna so he could keep playing tennis. Today he’s a US Open champion — and building four businesses. The full story in this interview.

The former World No. 3 and 2020 US Open champion shares deep insights into professional tennis and life after retirement in this two-hour conversation. Thiem breaks down the current dominance of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, explaining why he didn’t foresee Sinner’s rise as a junior while Alcaraz stood out on the practice court at just 16. He tells the story of his bold backhand switch at age 12 — against the advice of every competitor around him — and the financial sacrifices his family made to keep his dream alive.

In detail, Thiem describes the mental rollercoaster of his US Open final against Alexander Zverev, where he had mentally given up at two sets and a break down before a double fault changed everything. He speaks just as candidly about the wrist injury that still allowed good results but destroyed his confidence in his own game.

Thiem compares Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer from firsthand experience and reveals what the Big Three’s aura actually felt like on court. He closes with his vision for the future of tennis — from the ATP Fantasy Game to a team concept modeled on Formula 1.

📌 Chapters
00:00 – Intro
03:21 – Why Sinner & Alcaraz Dominate
05:50 – Building a Champion’s Team
19:17 – Alcaraz: The Power of Smiling
24:20 – Inside the Thiem Academy
30:40 – Switching Backhands at 12
41:26 – The Cost of Becoming a Pro
47:52 – Facing Federer, Nadal & Djokovic
54:41 – US Open 2020: The Comeback
1:02:37 – When Winning Isn’t Enough
1:12:36 – Injury, Money & Hard Truths
1:30:07 – Life After Tennis
1:46:33 – The Future of Tennis

🎾 Dominic Thiem
Instagram: http://instagram.com/domithiem/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominic-thiem-03a46a291/

🔗 Behind the Athletes on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0x0hYgksSAcXf6lCdl0ivK?si=7699120584c2436c
🔗 Behind the Athletes on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/behind-the-athletes/id1706281615
🔗 Website & Newsletter: www.bta-pod.com

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