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Dominic Thiem squeezes joy: he’s in the final at Flushing Meadows. Image: keystone
Favorite Thiem: Will he work in the fourth final with the Grand Slam win?
In New York tonight (starting at 10:15 pm) it will be about the victory at the US Open. Due to the special circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic, it is only the second Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year, and for the second time Dominic Thiem is in the final.
Dominic Thiem, 27, from Lower Austria, is fighting in his first US Open final, his fourth grand final, against German Alexander Zverev to make his dream come true. 25 years after Thomas Muster (at Roland-Garros), Thiem could become the second individual winner of an Austrian Grand Slam, rising through the ranks of Austrian sports legends. The fact that contrary to all expectations this could happen on hard court rather than sand is no longer surprising since the Melbourne final in January.
Thomas Muster lifts the 1995 French Open trophy. Bild: AP
Back then, Thiem led 2-1 sets against Novak Djokovic before the Serb prevailed in five sets. And even if Djokovic has been pulled out of the New York tournament because of his misstep, and Rafael Nadal is injured by the crown crisis and Roger Federer is missing: The triumph in this’ phantom grand slam – no fans, no atmosphere, but with the mentally stressful safety bubble, which players couldn’t get out of for up to four weeks, it would be particularly valuable.
“If I don’t win, I’ll have to call Andy Murray …”
Thiem looks set for the first title – in his three major finals so far, Nadal has stopped him twice in Paris and Djokovic in Melbourne. “It was difficult to digest the loss in Australia because it was so close. I am happy to have another chance in a very short time, ”Thiem said after beating last year’s finalist Daniil Medvedev.
Whats Next? Thiem: “If I win, I will have my first title, and if not, I will have to call Andy Murray and ask him for advice.” Like the great Ivan Lendl, the Scotsman lost his first four Grand Slam finals before becoming the three-time winner of a major tournament and number 1 in the world.
Zverev almost never
23-year-old final opponent Alexander Zverev is the first time in a final at this level. “Sascha” Zverev could become the first winner of a German Grand Slam since Boris Becker in 1996 in Australia. That Zverev can also triumph on the bigger stage, he proved two years ago with his triumph at the ATP Finals in London.
Zverev managed a 0-2 set deficit in the semifinals. Image: keystone
So far, Zverev has been stopped by Thiem three times in Grand Slam tournaments: twice at Roland-Garros (2016 in the third round and 2018 in the quarter-finals) and in January in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. Zverev is the youngest Grand Slam finalist since Djokovic at the US Open ten years ago.
Zverev: “I couldn’t believe I lost the first two sentences. I didn’t know what was happening. But I still made it to my first Grand Slam final. That alone counts! Could not be happier. But there is still a step to be taken. “The winner can expect 3 million gross dollars, the loser of the final receives half. (Ram / sda / apa)
