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Former world No. 3 Dominic Thiem admitted that hearing the words of encouragement from Andy Murray meant a lot to him as he called the Briton a great role model and an inspiration. Murray sustained a major hip injury in 2017 and requited two surgeries to fix the damage.
Murray now plays with a metal hip and his comeback story serves as a great inspiration to those who are trying to work their way back from a major injury. On Monday, Murray and Thiem clashed in the Madrid first round. In a battle between two Grand Slam champions, Murray was the better one as he saw off Thiem 6-3 6-4.
Thiem, who sustained a wrist injury at the Mallorca Open last June, is 0-4 since returning from a 10-month injury break. "I hope you feel better soon. I’m glad to see you back, keep going, it takes a lot of time but you’ll be fine," Murray told Thiem at the net.
Thiem: Murray is a great role model and an inspiration
“It was very nice, his words at the net, and it is worth even more from someone like him who really went through that recovery process,” Thiem said, as quoted on the ATP Tour website.
“He is one of the few who knows how tough it is to come back after a major injury and obviously he is a role model with how he came back with his hip injury”. In a recent interview with Austrian TV, Thiem made it clear his goal is to return to his old level and contend for Grand Slam titles.
Thiem noted that he is not putting too much pressure and expectations on his back right now but added he hopes to be at his best when the time comes for the US Open. Thiem lifted his maiden Grand Slam title after beating Alexander Zverev in the 2020 US Open final.