Underhanded comments once morest the former world number three, which are regularly made following defeats, are criticized.
“For two years now, a loud but clear minority has obviously made it their hobby to lambast Austria’s long-standing, deserving world-class player Dominic Thiem on social media. Defeats are literally just waited for in order to (in even more polite cases) celebrate them with a ” “To be clear” anyway,” the statement says. The criticism culminated on Tuesday with the statement: “How long do you actually want to drag Austria into the mud???”.
ÖTV wanted to record the following. “We are very proud of Dominic Thiem, how he presents his country to the outside world and of his successes – and every local tennis fan should be too.” The association reminded people how difficult it is to get into the top 3 in a world sport, even to get into the top 100 and stay there.
“Unfortunately, some people may not be aware of this. Even in the event of defeat, the Austrian Tennis Association expects to be treated respectfully towards a former world number three who has made enormous contributions to Austrian tennis, but also towards all other athletes.” According to ÖTV press spokesman Manuel Wachta, the statement was written as a “common” message.
