By Cheryl Jones
There’s something almost comical about anyone who is twenty-four years old, saying, “I’m not that young anymore.” But, in the world of professional tennis, that could be true. That was a quote from the after-match interview with Dominic Thiem after he had completed his match with Kei Nishikori. Even though there was a fourth set, there was hardly any doubt that it would go Thiem’s way. It was 6-2, 6-0, 5-7, 6-4 after the last ball was struck.
Nishikori was circumspect when he looked back at his performance. “I felt if I had a couple more chances, I could go fifth set. But yeah, first two sets, I don’t know. I just wasn’t there and maybe a little bit nervous.” As the score indicated, he really wasn’t there. There was too much to Thiem’s game today.
Over the years, very often, Nishikori has looked brilliant, but today, not so much. (Actually, there really wasn’t a “much” involved.) He appeared sluggish and seemed to be swatting at balls rather than constructing points. His fitness has often been a huge factor in his play. Today, it looked as if he was intact physically. He was wearing an ankle brace, but his gait seemed fine. There was a medical looking wrap around his right arm, but his swing didn’t seem affected by any type of injury. He didn’t have cramps and his blisters must have been under control.
Nishikori became a professional in 2007. He was not quite 18. He is now the highest-ranked Japanese man in ATP rankings history. He had a goal of reaching a ranking of 45, because it would have eclipsed the previous highest Japanese man, Shuzo Matsuoka, who had been ranked at 46. The goal was reached. At one point in 2015 he managed to reach Number 4, but he played today at 21, and of course he is still at the top of the Japanese ATP rankings.
After today’s loss he will have to re-examine his strategies and perhaps he can begin the climb up those rankings once again. After all, as we all should keep in mind, tomorrow is another day.
Thiem and Nishikori had faced one another before. This was the first time that Thiem had come out on top. Watching Thiem perform was a study in fluidity. He used effortless strokes and best of all (at least to me) a wonderful single-handed backhand. It seems that he’s not so sure that the backhand is his best stroke, though. When he was asked about it, he said, “No, I think my forehand is the shot I’m winning the matches with, definitely. Probably the backhand looks nicer.” (Well, yes, it does, for many reasons that are too numerous to list here, but let’s just say, as someone who played with a one-handed backhand, it is heartening to see a shot that doesn’t look physically constrained in the way a two-handed backhand appears to me to be.)
He will be facing twenty-one-year-old Alexander “Sascha” Zverev in his next match. (Thiem reached the semifinals last year and lost to none other than Rafael Nadal, who went down in the history books when he won his tenth Roland Garros title.) The matchup will be a test for both of the men, with Zverev likely the favorite, even though both of them are strong prospects for the future of tennis once the big four – Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray – say “adieu” to the professional circuit.
There has been much discussion about the “Next Generation” that actually does not include Thiem – he’s too old. For the second year in a row, Thiem is the only player to have defeated Nadal on clay prior to Roland Garros. He defeated Nadal in the quarterfinals at the Madrid-1000 that ended Nadal’s 21 match winning streak on clay and his streak of fifty straight sets won on clay. Nadal hadn’t dropped a set on clay since Thiem’s victory against him in the quarterfinals at the Rome-1000 in 2017.
Nadal made a comment yesterday that it has been hard for new comers to win a Grand Slam in the last ten years, because it has been dominated by four or five players who are still at the top. When asked what he thought about the statement, Thiem said, “He’s very right. Now at the Grand Slam, there are the big four. The last ten years you needed to beat at least two of them to win.” He added, “Maybe it gets a little bit easier in the future when they are not that young anymore or when some of them stop.”
Next time out, Thiem and Zverev won’t be thinking of anyone older than twenty-four. Both players will be looking to fill a slot in the semifinals listing. They know that in reality, tennis is a game that’s always played in the moment.
That moment will likely come on Tuesday of next week or, so the schedule says.
