Before arriving in London on Wednesday evening, I had heard about how nice the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals was and how well the players were treated at the season finale.
But this nice?
I walked into my hotel room at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall, close to Big Ben and the London Eye, and couldn't believe what I was seeing: Barclays ATP World Tour Finals T-shirts and hats with the tournament logo emblazoned on the apparel; a new Ted Baker suit, which I wore to the Official Launch; a new electric toothbrush, which is always nice; and maybe the most impressive gift, a new set of Ping golf clubs with my name on the bag and the clubs.
I'm not a golf player but I think I will start now.
It's incredible to receive all of these gifts because they're nice, of course, but also because only eight players in the world receive them. The gifts symbolise how special it is to reach the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
To be honest, I was happy enough just qualifying for the season-ending tournament, which has been a dream of mine for years. Last year, I remember seeing the tournament and thinking it would be nearly impossible to tally enough Emirates ATP Rankings points to reach the Top 8 by the end of the season.
But this year, with a little help from my friends Milos Raonic and Andy Murray, I made it to The O2. When Raonic beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Murray beat Tomas Berdych in the BNP Paribas Masters quarter-finals, I could officially celebrate and make plans for London.
It all didn't sink in, though, until I walked into my hotel room. The next day, last Thursday, I felt even more in awe. I was shown to my own personal locker room, which players don't get at almost any other tournament. The locker room featured a bigger than life-size poster of myself, and a “Congratulations” message with my four different titles written on the wall. The room also had a mirror with my name engraved on it.
I was so impressed I had to take photos of the locker room and send to my friends, who, like me, know what regular tournaments are like and were learning how the season finale differs. This week is also special because I have my parents and a handful of friends here with me. London isn't far from Austria, and it's extra special to have my parents here, since I don't see them much during the season; they get to only about five tournaments a year.
The new sensations continued on Sunday, too, when I made my official finale debut against Novak Djokovic. I usually feel nervous before matches but I felt extra tense before stepping in front of almost 18,000 people at The O2. I felt more butterflies tingling than usual, and my hands weighed more than they typically do before matches.
Walking through the smoke and onto the court with almost 18,000 fans cheering was a much different experience as well. But once we started playing, it was regular tennis, one on one, just like I've done dozens of times this season. I was pleased to take a set off Novak and wish I could have won another one, but I'll be here all weeklong, cherishing the experience and working to finish my season strong.
Dominic Thiem spoke with Jonathon Braden