Dominic Thiem: “Investing is a lot of risk – like sport”

KURIER: As a top athlete you know that your career will end at some point. When did you start thinking about what would happen next?

Dominic Thiem: For me it was more towards the end of my career. There were moments when I realized that my best days were over. That was mainly due to my injury. Plus, I always knew I didn’t want to play until I was 40.

What were your first investments?

The first investment was Neoh. The company was still fairly new back then. They wrote me an email and asked if I would like to invest and become a brand ambassador. I decided to do this because I found the vision meaningful – namely to reduce sugar consumption in everyday life. At the place it is clear that you need sugar. That was still at my peak, but it helped me as a first step for everything that came after.

How important is it for you when making new investments that they fit your own brand?

That’s the most important thing anyway, that it’s not something I have to pretend to be. And that I really care. It became clear to me relatively quickly that I wanted to invest in three areas: sustainability, health and sport. Today, all of my investments have to do with one of these three pillars.

What were you able to take away from the sport?

I would say resilience. And also the knowledge that there will almost certainly be no more phases that are as stressful as back then. In a two-week Grand Slam tournament, as an athlete you are completely at your limit. The fact that it will probably never be as stressful again helps a lot on this new path.

And what hurdles are there when you come from elite sport and then become an entrepreneur?

During my tennis career, I often imposed my own will and was selfish, because that’s simply necessary in an individual sport like tennis. Although I had a team, I always went onto the pitch alone, made my decisions and was responsible for them. This dynamic has completely changed. Today my team is incredibly important to me. We also make every decision together. I don’t want to decide everything myself because their opinions are important to me.

Your brother is part of your core team, your father runs the Thiem Academy in Burgenland. How important is family to you in the company?

Very important. I can absolutely trust my family. It was also very clear that my father should head the Thiem Academy Burgenland. After all, he has been a tennis coach for almost 30 years and has a lot of experience.

Under “Thiem Energy” you operate a citizen energy community under your name. How did this project come about?

Our business partner approached us with a sponsorship request for his company. We also had many other conversations. That was all at the time when I had already decided that my career as a professional athlete would end. And then Thiem Energy was created with the idea of ​​creating something meaningful with a cool community and supporting people when it comes to electricity costs.

And then there is the sunglasses brand Thiem View. Your partner Wutscher seems to have sold out all of their models. Is there anything else coming?

Yes, there is a whole new collection coming this spring. It’s going to be really cool. I’ve loved sunglasses since I was young. And our collection fits perfectly with the three pillars: the glasses are sustainable, important for eye health and – now new – suitable for sports.

One of your latest investments is the German company Precision Lab, which produces dairy products with a high proportion of plant-based ingredients. What attracted you to this idea?

I have been interested in future nutrition and the topic of laboratory meat for many years. Precision Lab asked me, then I met the team in Munich and tasted the milk. It was immediately clear to me that I definitely wanted to be there. I hope that this will completely change the entire market and make our planet a little healthier again.

Many start-ups do not become successful. How do you deal with investments in companies that then fail?

I know there is a lot of risk involved in investing. I can’t expect every investment to work out. For me it’s about going in with a good feeling. If a company fails, it is extremely unfortunate. But that also connects investing with top-class sport. If I start playing tennis as a ten-year-old, the likelihood of me becoming a professional and having a successful career is very low. It can be similar with start-ups.