As he prepares to retire from the circuit this week in Vienna, Dominic Thiem will have marked his era with his character and his flamboyant play. Here are the greatest moments of his career.
September 2020: the New York holy grail
After three failures in the final, the fourth attempt was the right one. While we expected him to be a winner rather in Paris, a worthy successor to Rafael Nadal, it was finally in New York, during a US Open played behind closed doors only three weeks after the resumption of the circuit stopped during five months because of COVID 19, that Dominic Thiem wins his first Grand Slam title. After a tournament without major obstacles, during which he beat Auger-Aliassime in the eighth, De Minaur in the quarters and Medvedev in the semis, he found himself in the final against the German Alexander Zverev. Trailing two sets to zero, Thiem managed to get back to two sets everywhere. In a fifth set with a strange scenario where both players are paralyzed by the fear of winning their first Major, Zverev serves for the match but Thiem manages to break the break and wins 2-6, 4-6, 6-4,6- 3.7-6(6).
But to win this tournament, Dominic Thiem benefited from a little help from destiny. Indeed, during his round of 16 against the Spaniard Pablo Carreno-Busta and when he had just been broken, Novak Djokovic was disqualified by the referee for having accidentally sent one of his balls into the throat of one of the lines judges. An extremely rare occurrence which allowed the Austrian to clear the board. With this Grand Slam title, he remains to this day the only player, with Daniil Medvedev, born in the 1990s to have won a Major. He therefore knew how to seize his chance in a generation which seems cursed and stuck between the monsters of the Big 3 and the Alcaraz-Sinner generation.
March 2019: it clicked in Indian Wells
Part of Thiem’s victory at the 2020 US Open was undoubtedly born a year and a half earlier during the Masters 1000 final at Indian Wells. After a quiet run, apart from a tough semi-final against Milos Raonic, the Austrian arrives fresh in the final against Roger Federer, who benefited from Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal in the semi-finals. In the final, it was Federer who won the first set 6 games to 3. But Thiem reacted well and won the second set 6-3. In the last round, Federer seems stronger than the Austrian. He has many break points but it is Thiem who breaks 5 games everywhere. When it was time to serve for the match, the then 25-year-old did not tremble and concluded to win his first Masters 1000. Which would also be his last.
November 2020: one last thrill at the Masters
Two months after his victory at the US Open, Dominic Thiem is logically present at the Masters. The Austrian seems to appreciate the O2 Arena and the playing conditions. When the 2020 Masters begins, in front of empty stands due to Covid, he is in fact the reigning finalist of the tournament. The Austrian started his tournament well by beating Tsitsipas then Nadal before losing a match without stakes against Rublev. Winner of his group, he crossed paths with Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. And Thiem wins after an anthology match won 7-5,6-7(10),7-6(5). He doesn’t know it yet but this victory will be his last against a top 10. The next day, Thiem narrowly lost in the final against Daniil Medvedev 4-6,7-6(2),6-4 and saw his title chances. His London epic will be his swan song and will mark the beginning of the twilight of his career.
June 2018: first Porte d’Auteuil final
Coming out of two finals in a row at Porte d’Auteuil, Dominic Thiem emerges as one of the outsiders of the 2018 edition. After reaching the final in Madrid by beating Rafael Nadal on his way, the Austrian is in very good shape. After taking out Nishikori, Zverev and finally Cecchinato, he reached the final against the favorite Rafael Nadal. And after losing against him in 2014 and then in 2017, the Austrian lost again clearly with a score of . He then understands that the Nadal at Roland-Garros is not the same as that on another clay court. Thiem will lose against him again in the final in 2019. Many observers believe that he will take over from the Majorcan as king of Porte d’Auteuil.
September 2018: founding defeat at the US Open
An incredible match. After an easy start to the tournament where he beat Kevin Anderson among others, Dominic Thiem finds his rival Rafael Nadal. And he started the match with his feet on the floor by winning the first set 6-0 (!). While Nadal recovered and won the second and third sets, Thiem was not discouraged. He broke in the fourth set before being caught and then winning the set in the tie-break 7 points to 4. The fifth set reached tennis heights. The two players are very close and no break is made. The match is therefore played in a tie-break. In a magnificent showdown, Thiem is the first to crack at 6-5 by sending a smash into the lane. After this match, Nadal will retire in the semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro.
