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A US Open like no other ended like no other, with an unprecedented tiebreaker in the fifth set, as Dominic Thiem became the first man in 71 years to win the final after losing the first two sets.
So close to defeat in a nearly empty Arthur Ashe stadium (fans suspended due to coronavirus pandemic) Thiem slowly but surely turned things around against a hesitant Alexander Zverev and pulled out a 2-6, 4-6, 6-4 , 6 -3, 7-6 (6) win at Flushing Meadows for their first Grand Slam title.
The match ended with both men battling leg cramps and, clearly, nerves.
“In some way,” said Thiem, a 27-year-old Austrian, “today’s belief was stronger than the body, and I’m very happy about that.”
When a Zverev backhand landed wide in the championship’s third point, a tired Thiem fell backward behind the baseline and covered his face with his hands. When he got up, he was greeted by Zverev, who walked around the net to hold hands and then hug his friend and foe, two places rarely seen in this age of social distancing.
Thiem then rested his head on the shoulder of the taller Zverev, who came within two points of what would have been his first big win.
“I wish we could have two winners today,” Thiem said. “I think we both deserved it.”
He is the first man to win the American Grand Slam tournament after losing 2-0 in sets in the final since Pancho González did it against Ted Schroeder in 1949 in an event then known as the United States Championship and held in Forest Hills. .
The event had never been resolved with a tiebreaker in the fifth set; No major tournament had ever done it until Novak Djokovic surpassed Roger Federer like that at Wimbledon in 2019.
“I was a few games away, a few points away,” said Zverev, who was trying to give Germany their first men’s Grand Slam champion since Boris Becker in the 1990s. “I’m 23 years old. I don’t think it’s my own. last chance “.
Zverev choked when he mentioned that his parents had not been able to travel to New York because they tested positive for COVID-19, although he said they are now healthy.
When Thiem stepped forward to pose for photos in his shiny new hardware, Zverev stood a few feet behind, one hand clutching his less impressive silver tray, the other hand on one hip.
The process took 4 hours and 2 minutes. And think: After just 1 1/2 hours, Zverev was up by two sets and a break in the third at 2-1.
“The game changed when he broke me for the first time in the third set,” Zverev said. “He started to play a lot better and I started to play a lot worse.”
Zverev, of all people, should have known what might have looked like an impossible hill to climb because Thiem was, in fact, achievable. After all, in Thursday’s semi-finals, it was Zverev who lost 2-0 in sets to Pablo Carreño Busta before winning again.
Thiem started the day 0-3 in Grand Slam finals, but always faced a member of the Men’s Big Three in those others. This time, he was the favorite and came off nervous, but he finally managed to get out of it, while Zverev went from being calm and confident to passive and pushing.
The fifth set was as back and forth as the other four, the errors increased with the tension and the story in sight.
Thiem broke in the opening game when Zverev hit a pair of forehands. Zverev broke again and broke the silence with a rare cry of “Come on!” – when Thiem double faulted.
Then it was Zverev’s turn to step forward and take a 5-3 lead as Thiem sent a wide backhand and leaned in, gasping for air.
But with a chance for the biggest victory of his fledgling career, Zverev faltered and broke when he volleyed into the net.
That started a three-game streak for Thiem, who broke to lead 6-5, earning his own shot at serving when Zverev hit a backhand, followed by a long forehand.
After a coach checked his right leg during the next substitution, Thiem also failed to seal the deal, and they went on to the tiebreaker. Zverev double-faulted twice and served a second serve at 68 mph, about half the speed of which he is capable.
While this was the first Slam final of No. 7 Zverev, this was the first that No. 3 Thiem was supposed to win, following losses to 12-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in 2018 and 2019. then eight-time Australian Open champion Djokovic at Melbourne Park in February, before the pandemic turned the world upside down and put tennis on a five-month hiatus.
Instead of savage applause and loud cheers to salute the big exchanges, Sunday’s soundtrack came mostly from off the biggest tennis court, courtesy of roaring planes, loud trains, revving car engines, horns and howling sirens. There was the occasional polite applause from the dozens of tournament workers allowed into the stands and, in the background of the match, shouts from the players’ entourages.
But the loudest crowd noise heard by viewers was false, added by the broadcaster.
Unable to count on support in what has always been an electric environment, on a night that felt more like a glorified practice session than a game with so much at stake, both men were slow at times, listless, even. The play was not perfect: they combined 120 unforced errors with only 95 winners. In a curious parallel, Zverev balanced his 15 aces with 15 double faults, and Thiem had eight in each category.
Normally, the US Open closes each Grand Slam season, but what has been normal in 2020?
Wimbledon was canceled for the first time since World War II, while the French Open was postponed from its originally scheduled start in May and will now begin in two weeks.
Another way this whole event was different: Federer, Nadal and Djokovic had all won the previous 13 major trophies. But Federer and Nadal did not enter the US Open, while Djokovic was defaulted in the fourth round for accidentally hitting a linesman with a ball that he struck in anger after losing a game.
Thiem – hardly, hardly – was the one who took the opportunity to sneak into the champions club.
“A great relief. I mean, obviously it was a lot of pressure in the game, a lot of emotions, “Thiem said.” It’s hard to stay there and keep believing. But I did it “.
