Dominic Thiem on big three of men's tennis, the challenge of Nadal on clay, and why US Open is safe

“Well, I must be clear, in my first final at Roland Garros, against Rafael Nadal, I had no chance of beating him, we all know what he can do in that tournament," asserted Thiem, before going on to say playing Nadal in that final “is probably the biggest challenge I've ever had in my sports career”.

The Austrian’s comments suggest that the 34-year-old Nadal is showing very few signs of decline and is still such a formidable opponent on his preferred clay court surface. This is evidenced by him winning his 12th Roland Garros title last year - a remarkable feat given that he has competed in the tournament 15 times.

Additionally, the fact that Nadal is the reigning US Open champion but will likely be skipping the tournament gives Thiem even more confidence that he can win his maiden Grand Slam title in New York next month.

Many players have cited fears over the high number of covid-19 infections in the USA, while being forced to quarantine upon their return to Europe is amongst a variety of reasons for refusing to participate in one of the ATP Tour circuit’s premier events. However, Thiem has no worries about any of that.

“It will be safe for everyone,” he claimed, confidently.

His comments about Nadal’s ability on clay hold even more weight once you consider that clay is perhaps Thiem’s preferred surface too. He has reached the final of the French Open twice and the semi-final the same amount of times, sporting a win rate of 80% in the tournament, whereas the only other Grand Slam he has gone beyond the quarter-final in is the Australian Open earlier this year, in which he lost to Djokovic.

“Yes, in my third final, this year at the Australian Open, the chances were very close, it was an epic match," said Thiem, while reflecting on his encounter with the Serb. He elaborated by saying: "When playing against the best players, like Novak Djokovic, you can't make mistakes, even the little ones can decide whether to win or lose." The fact he was edged out by three sets to two is testament to how such fine margins can swing the balance in either player’s favour at the elite level of tennis.

Thiem will be relieved that Djokovic will be another absentee from this year’s US Open due to him recovering from the coronavirus, after his ill-fated charity tennis tournament the Adria Tour resulted in multiple players testing positive for the virus in addition to the pregnant wife of fellow Serbian tennis player Viktor Troicki.

Although Thiem most certainly places legends such as Nadal, Djokovic and Federer on a deservedly high pedestal, he should not underestimate his own ability against them, particularly after beating twenty-time Grand Slam champion Federer last year to win the Indian Wells Masters in California. That was the Austrian player’s first-ever Masters triumph and bodes well for another major tournament outing at the US Open this September.