Thiem and Bresnik trade verbal barbs as sour split continues

Dominic Thiem and former coach Gunter Bresnik have engaged in a war of words as the pair’s relationship continues to disintegrate.

Thiem flourished under the tutelage of Bresnik during his early years on tour and has since transformed into one of the tour’s best players, currently ranked No. 3 in the world after runner-up appearances at Roland Garros and the Australian Open, along with winning last year’s Indian Wells Masters.

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Gunter Bresnik (Photo Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports)

However, after the pair split due to undisclosed reasons, Bresnik – who is now coaching Jerzy Janowicz – has taken a shot at his former protege and Thiem’s father Wolfgang.

Bresnik declared Thiem would still be a Futures player without his guidance, while he also stated that Wolfgang would be no more than a club coach, according to a translation from Austrian journalist Jannik Schneider.

Former lifetime coach/manager Günter Bresnik with harsh words about family Thiem via austrian agency APA

"(…)You cant do that to someone that you owe everything. His dad would be a clubcoach and Dominic a futures player without me"

Full translation? #thiem pic.twitter.com/gnoa2IqV6r

— Jannik Schneider (@schnejan) March 31, 2020

Thiem has responded to the comments, labelling Bresnik’s remarks as ‘deplorable’.

“When he complains about a lack of respect, and says that I owe it all to him, and seriously suggests that I would have been a futures player without him, I have to ask whether he has developed delusions of grandeur.”

Thiem also clarified that he wouldn’t be revealing the reason behind his split with Bresnik – but confirmed his former coach was aware of why they went their separate ways.

Thiems public answer to Bresnik via APA (cc @ZahrerLukas tweeted it in ??)

„Its deporable, that he always blames my family and me in public for whatever reason after we worked succesfully for so many years."

Full translation?? #thiem https://t.co/9e5NRDvXya pic.twitter.com/wqdqm3oKJX

— Jannik Schneider (@schnejan) April 1, 2020

“I did not part ways with him without a reason,” Thiem added. “Bresnik knows the reasons and at this time I won’t make them public.”

Thiem and Bresnik ended their coaching relationship in 2019, with former Olympic gold medalist Nicolas Massu taking over just before Indian Wells.

The pair enjoyed immediate success and have continued to form a strong partnership, with Thiem claiming his maiden Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells before going on to finish runner-up at Roland Garros for the second straight year.

Massu’s impact has been undeniable, with Thiem transitioning from a clay-court titan to an all-surface threat.

The Austrian also captured hardcourt 500-level titles in Beijing and Vienna in 2019, along with making the title match at the season-ending ATP Finals and beating Rafael Nadal en route to the Australian Open final in January, where he went down in five sets to Novak Djokovic.