Dominic Thiem advocates for more open mental health discussions

Dominic Thiem opened up about working with a sports psychologist, revealing that it has helped him a lot. The Austrian went on to advocate for more open discussions about mental health in the public space, opining that it should become more normalized.

Speaking to Tennis Majors in a recent exclusive, the former US Open champion pointed to how it was normal for athletes to have physiotherapists to help train their bodies. Thiem was of the opinion that hiring mental coaches should be held in the same regard, instead of making the subject a taboo.

The 29-year-old, in fact, declared that the practice should not stop with just sports but extend to life in general as well.

“I’m working with somebody, [a sports psychologist], which is helping me a lot. Because you’re by yourself on court, but you practice everything, you practice your tennis, you practice your fitness, you have a physio that takes care of your body, so it’s not really understandable why it’s still tough to talk about," Dominic Thiem said.

"I would say it’s very normal to work with a mental coach or a sports psychologist. That’s the way it should be, and not only in sports, but in life in general," he added.

Dominic Thiem set to break into top 100 once again

Winston-Salem Open - Day 5

Meanwhile, Dominic Thiem is set to break into the top 100 of the ATP rankings once again after a fairly decent couple of weeks on tour. Following a disappointing Golden Swing and Sunshine Double, the former World No. 3 reached the quarterfinals of the Estoril Open to kickstart the European clay swing, following which he made the second round at the ongoing Monte-Carlo Masters.

In Estoril, Thiem defeated Sebastian Offner and Ben Shelton before falling to Quentin Halys, while he took down Richard Gasquet in Monte-Carlo before being outdone by Holger Rune. The Austrian currently sits at World No. 98 in the live rankings.

This improvement in ranking will help him enter the main draw of the French Open without the need for a wildcard, which was one of his main goals for the season.

"I am playing better and better, just the results in the first quarter of the year were not there. But this part of the season, I love it, European clay-court season. I have a big short-term goal to reach the main draw of the French Open," Dominic Thiem said after his win over Shelton in Estoril. "Every match win, all the points are helping me, so quarterfinals is a good first step."