Thiem and Bresnik settle legal dispute
Coach Günter Bresnik had sued his ex-protégé Dominic Thiem in 2019 for 450,000 euros. The parties have agreed not to disclose the out-of-court settlement.
by APA
last edit:
Mar 03, 2021, 03:36 pm
Dominic Thiem and his long-time coach Günter Bresnik have reached an out-of-court settlement in the legal dispute over the ex-trainer's financial claims. Manfred Ainedter, the legal representative of Thiem, and Bresnik's lawyer Gottfried Korn announced this on Wednesday in a press release sent to the APA - Austria Press Agency.
"Lately a lot has been reported about differences of opinion between us, which have even led to a lawsuit. We agreed at the first hearing on December 18, 2020 that we would be in view of the long road we had walked together to seek an out-of-court, amicable solution as quickly as possible in mutual appreciation, "said the statement signed by Thiem and Bresnik.
As part of a settlement procedure before the Regional Court for Civil Law Matters (ZRS) Vienna, under the careful guidance of the mediator Konstanze Thau, who is a full-time judge, "a solution that was fair to both sides was found, the content of which we have agreed to maintain absolute silence". It remains unclear to what extent the domestic tennis ace has met the financial demands of his ex-trainer.
Thiem and Bresnik split up in 2019
Bresnik, from whom Thiem separated in 2019, had sued his former protégé for more than 450,000 euros, the sum relating to Thiem's income in the first quarter of 2020. He took the position that after the end of the cooperation he would continue to be entitled to a share in Thiem's income from sponsorship and equipment contracts that he had concluded in his role as manager.
Originally, there was supposed to have been an agreement between Thiem and Bresnik concluded in 2014, which would have guaranteed the latter 30 percent of all contracts he had landed by Thiem's end of career. This contract was changed in September 2016 and was limited in time - but without Thiems now manager Herwig Straka being aware of it. Straka negotiated a solution with Thiem's ex-coach and mentor in May 2019 after the end of the Thiem - Bresnik employment relationship, in which Bresnik was still granted a staggered participation in Thiem's income.
Thiem's lawyer Ainedter declared this contract null and void in February 2020 and dissolved it. Reason: Straka and Thiem were "fraudulently deceived" by Bresnik. What Bresnik vehemently denied, which is why he insisted on compliance with the 2019 agreements and the associated payments.