When Dominic Thiem shared the court with Roger Federer: Wimbledon’s unforgettable moment

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Back in 2010 and 2011, Thiem was a junior at Wimbledon and had the chance to practice with Federer for the first time.

The pair have a close relationship now, and after Thiem retired from tennis in 2024, Federer reached out to send him a message.

Thiem first practised with Federer when he was still a junior at Wimbledon, long before he joined the main tour. Now, years later, he’s shared what it was like stepping onto the court with someone already considered one of the greats.

While Federer was a huge influence on many players from that era, there were others who also left their mark on Thiem’s game. One name that often comes up is Stan Wawrinka.

The similarities between them are easy to spot: both have powerful backhands and rely heavily on their strength from deep in rallies. Thiem has spoken about how much he respected Wawrinka’s game growing up.

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

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

The 2020 US Open winner shared how nervous he felt practising with Federer for the first time before speaking about his first match against one of the Big Four when he played Andy 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.”