Dennis Novak & Dominic Thiem: From Childhood Friends To ATP Cup Teammates

The childhood bond between Dennis Novak and Dominic Thiem has taken them from junior tournaments in Austria to representing their country at the inaugural ATP Cup. But their close friendship wasn’t always seamless. When the pair first became acquainted, their relationship got off to a rocky start.

“When we were 11 or 12 and I didn’t know him very well, I thought he was really arrogant,” Novak said with a smile. “He won almost every single Austrian under-10, under-12 tournament. He was the clear No. 1. I didn’t think he was very sympathetic.”

Novak’s frosty feelings likely didn’t change after Thiem “kicked my [butt]” in their first match at an under-14 tournament. But the armor came down when Novak moved to Vienna at age 14 to train at Gunter Bresnik’s tennis academy, where Thiem had already spent years under Bresnik’s tutelage.

“After we played and spent a lot of time together, I realised that I saw it from the wrong position,” Novak said. “He’s so down to earth and really nice.”

Novak began training with Dominic’s father, Wolfgang, a longtime coach at the academy who has remained part of his team. The two juniors had only exchanged pleasantries during tournaments, but quickly became inseparable. They attended classes together in school, shared the same facilities for their practise sessions and spent much of their free time together. 

“At the beginning, we were almost like the same personality. We were thinking the same way and became really good friends right away,” Novak said. “We were together almost every week until we were 18 or 19, playing junior tournaments and then practising together at the same academy. We were together all the time on the court and in school. We would hang out together when we had time as well.”

Both players turned pro in 2011 and began working their way up the ATP Rankings. The pair even teamed up on home soil at 2016 Kitzbühel and delighted the crowd by advancing to their first ATP Tour doubles final.

But while Thiem cracked the Top 50 just three years after turning pro, Novak’s rise has been a slower burn. The 26-year-old currently sits at No. 109 and has minimal points to defend in the first three months of next year, putting him in prime position to crack the Top 100 for the first time.

Even though Thiem is now part of the highest echelon in the sport, he hasn’t forgotten about his friend. The pair still keep in close contact and spend time together when they’re at the same tournaments. Thiem even sat in the stands to cheer Novak on during his second-round qualifying win this year at Wimbledon.

“It’s unbelievable. He’s No. 4 in the world… It’s not usual for a guy like this to go to Roehampton and watch some players,” Novak said. “He has no reason to do that because he has a lot of stuff to do before Wimbledon, so it was very nice of him. It shows that he means it in a good way.”

Novak and Thiem will now get to join forces as they face Croatia, Argentina and Poland in Group E action in Sydney. Although Thiem is Austria’s only Top 100 singles player, he’s confident that Novak can take out higher-ranked opponents in their group.

“Dennis is a great player,” Thiem said. “If he’s on fire, he can play way better than his ATP Ranking and he can beat anybody.”

Novak demonstrated last year that he can punch above his weight by scoring his first Top 20 win against Lucas Pouille at Wimbledon. The Austrian also has a proven track record of raising his level in team competitions. With plenty of support from Team Austria in his corner, he’s eager to kick off next season on a strong note.

“I like to be on a team more than on my own,” Novak said. “These are all good matches for me at the beginning of the year, to play Top 30 and Top 40 guys. I think it helps me a lot because I’ve played people at that level before, so it’s nothing new for me, but it will be a different atmosphere being on a team.”