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Dominic Thiem captured his first Masters title at Indian Wells, and has wins against both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer at the ATP Finals this week.

Explaining his success, Thiem said serving and returning effectively had allowed him to go on the offensive, and he has been backing up his heavy groundstrokes by coming in frequently.

"The first is that I really improve my aggressive game style. I'm coming into the net way more, and that's just important on the hardcourts," he told press in London.

The low-bouncing courts are also helping by keeping the ball down so he can take a good swing at his one-handed backhand.

Thiem explains hard-court surge: "There are also some big advantages"

Thiem explains hard-court surge: "There are also some big advantages"

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"There are also some big advantages for me on surfaces like this," Thiem said. "I don't get the backhand in uncomfortably. I can hit it most of the time in a pretty good zone for me.

"That's why I can go many times for a very risky shot, and the possibility that the ball goes in is pretty high because this surface makes it possible that I don't have to hit it too uncomfortable."

Following his two big wins, Thiem fell to Matteo Berrettini in his third round robin match, but qualified first in his group for the semifinals. Thiem is excited by his start to the event, saying, "It was I think for the first time that I beat two of the Big 3 back to back, which gives me a lot of confidence."

Thiem's semifinal opponent will be the player who finishes second in the opposite round robin group, either Stefanos Tsitsipas, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev or Alex Zverev.

Thiem explains hard-court surge: "There are also some big advantages"

Thiem explains hard-court surge: "There are also some big advantages"