Dominic Thiem reveals how he felt playing with Roger Federer for the first time at Wimbledon

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Dominic Thiem first practiced with Roger Federer when he was a junior at Wimbledon.

Thiem received a message from Federer when he retired from tennis in 2024, showing the respect between the two players.

This relationship was not always there, with Thiem actually being 12 years younger than Federer, and he was a junior at Wimbledon in 2010 and 2011.

Thiem practiced with Federer for the first time at Wimbledon as a junior, and he has now revealed how he felt hitting with the multiple-time Grand Slam champion for the first time.

Dominic Thiem admits he felt ‘intimidated’ practicing with Roger Federer for the first time

In an appearance on the BTA Podcast, Thiem was asked about his experiences of playing against the ‘Big Four’ of Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Thiem admitted that how nervous he felt practicing with Federer for the first time, before speaking about the first match he played against the ‘Big Four’ when he faced Murray in Rotterdam.

“Totally intimidated…The first time I played with Roger I was a junior at Wimbledon and I warmed him up, and my racket was like 100 kilos, I was so nervous!” exclaimed Thiem.

“Of course it’s maybe even worse when I played them for the first time. The first was actually Murray, I loved how he played and he was a big role model to me, and just a few years before I watched him on TV and then I am playing against him in Rotterdam.”

Thiem was then asked if he felt like he didn’t belong on court with them, something he suggested was the case for the first few matches before he became more assured of himself.

“100% yeah, it was crazy. The big three they had such a big aura it was crazy, when you stand next to them before you walk on court, it felt like they’ve already beat me,” added Thiem.

“I don’t need to go out there, I want to go back to the TV and watch them from the TV! So that’s how the first matches against them felt and then slowly I got used to it.”

Dominic Thiem’s Head-to-Head vs the Big Four

While Thiem admitted he felt intimidated when practicing with Federer for the first time, he is actually the only member of the ‘Big Four’ he ended his career with a winning head-to-head against.

The most one-sided head-to-head against Thiem was Nadal, who he lost 10 of his 16 matches against, including four at Roland Garros.

One of the more memorable victories of Thiem’s career came in the final of Indian Wells in 2019, when he came from a set down to beat Federer.

When asked about this match, Thiem explained that he felt like he could beat anyone at that stage of his career.

“I already knew that I belonged to this level back then, I was 25,” said Thiem. “Still it was a big chance, I really wanted that title and the first set I remember he was really toying with me, he was playing at his highest level.

“But still, believing in it and somehow I turned it around. Back then, I already had the belief that I could beat anybody on any day, so that was also the mindset into that match.”