Thiem completes life-long dream with US Open triumph
With three runner-up finishes in Major Championships,
Austrian star Dominic Thiem finally overcame that final hurdle to win the US
Open in five sets against friend Alexander Zverev at Flushing Meadow in New
York on Sunday.
The match might not have lived up to
expectations early with both players suffering from final nerves, however when the
German went into a two set to love lead one might have thought the first major
title would be going to Zverev.
Thiem rallied and won three sets in a row with the final set being decided by a tie-breaker. Thiem prevailed in the tie-breaker 8-6 to take the match 2-6 4-6 6-4 6-3 7-6.
It was believed that the 27-year-old would taste his first major title on clay at the French Open given his previous record at Roland Garros, but he showed his versatility with a win on the hard court of the US Open.
“When I got to the semi-final of Roland Garros I knew that I had the ability to win a major,” Thiem said. “From that moment on I dreamt about and thought that it was realistic but with clay being my best chance of a major.
“At the end of last year when I won in Beijing and Vienna then I realised that my game was beginning to suit the hard court really well and since working with Nico (Massu) we have made my game suited for the hard court.
“Up until now my best major was in Australia so it’s no surprise for me anymore that my best major isn’t the French Open.”
It’s been a long road to get to the top for Thiem but the work that he has put in was all worth it when he lifted the US Open trophy in front of an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday.
“I have dedicated my life to trying to win one of the four major trophies in tennis,” he explained.
“To now be able to say that I am a major winner isn’t just an achievement for me, it’s an accomplishment for my team and today is the day that I give back to them after all they have given me.”
It’s now back across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe with a week to prepare for the French Open at Roland Garros next week.
Thiem knows that it’s important that he refocuses on the change of surface heading into next week’s clay court major.
“Physically I am going to be fine. I’ll have enough time to recover from this before the start of the French Open.
“The question is how I am going to deal with the emotion and how I am going to go forward mentally because I have never been in this position before.
“I achieved a big, big goal here so it’s going to be interesting to see how I feel in the next few days.
Thiem rallied and won three sets in a row with the final set being decided by a tie-breaker. Thiem prevailed in the tie-breaker 8-6 to take the match 2-6 4-6 6-4 6-3 7-6.
It was believed that the 27-year-old would taste his first major title on clay at the French Open given his previous record at Roland Garros, but he showed his versatility with a win on the hard court of the US Open.
“When I got to the semi-final of Roland Garros I knew that I had the ability to win a major,” Thiem said. “From that moment on I dreamt about and thought that it was realistic but with clay being my best chance of a major.
“At the end of last year when I won in Beijing and Vienna then I realised that my game was beginning to suit the hard court really well and since working with Nico (Massu) we have made my game suited for the hard court.
“Up until now my best major was in Australia so it’s no surprise for me anymore that my best major isn’t the French Open.”
It’s been a long road to get to the top for Thiem but the work that he has put in was all worth it when he lifted the US Open trophy in front of an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday.
“I have dedicated my life to trying to win one of the four major trophies in tennis,” he explained.
“To now be able to say that I am a major winner isn’t just an achievement for me, it’s an accomplishment for my team and today is the day that I give back to them after all they have given me.”
It’s now back across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe with a week to prepare for the French Open at Roland Garros next week.
Thiem knows that it’s important that he refocuses on the change of surface heading into next week’s clay court major.
“Physically I am going to be fine. I’ll have enough time to recover from this before the start of the French Open.
“The question is how I am going to deal with the emotion and how I am going to go forward mentally because I have never been in this position before.
“I achieved a big, big goal here so it’s going to be interesting to see how I feel in the next few days.
“There was a big part of my career missing coming into today and now that I have achieved it I am hoping that I will be more relaxed and play more freely at the biggest events.”
