Austria’s Dominic Thiem is confident that his clash with Rafael Nadal at the French Open will not be the last time he will feature in the final of a grand slam.
The world No.8 was came up short in against the Spaniard, crashing out in straight sets. Thiem is only the second Austrian man to feature in a final at Roland Garros after Thomas Muster in 1995. Following the loss he paid tribute to Nadal by speaking about the time he watch the Spaniard lift his first title in Paris at the age of 11. Although being runner-up is a bitter pill to swallow.
“It’s really a great thing that I made my way (to the final) and that I was competing in a final against him. It’s a really great thing, but still I’m disappointed, of course. It was a final. I really wanted to win.” Said Thiem.
“I gave everything I had, and I’m the loser of today. So at the end, it’s not the best day.”
Part of Thiem’s downfall occurred at a pivotal moment during the first set. Serving 4-5 down, he produced four consecutive unforced errors. Handing the lead to Nadal, who went on to win 12 of the next 15 games in the match. It was a costly outcome, but one Thiem’s believes had no significant impact on the clash.
“It was a bad game, but I always did the right plays, and I just missed some close balls.” He explained.
“I was really fighting and playing from the first to the last moment. And of course it was not nice to lose the first set, but still it was not a key point of today.”
The significance of his maiden appearance in the major had no impact on how the Austrian approached the match. Against Nadal, he hit seven aces and 34 winners alongside 42 unforced errors.
“I was pretty calm and I knew that I go into it like it would be any other match. I think this was the right approach because if I let too much happen, my emotions, everything, because it’s the first Grand Slam final, it wouldn’t suit my game very well, and that’s why I went into it like every other match.”
Not to be deterred by his latest loss, Thiem is confident of having another shot at a grand slam title. His next opportunity will be in July at the Wimbledon Championships. Where his best run to date being the fourth round in 2017.
“I’m confident that this was not my last Grand Slam final, and that’s my biggest goal. To get into the next one and then to do better than today.” He said.
At the age of 24, Thiem is the youngest player to reach the Roland Garros final since 2010. In total, he has featured in 18 grand slam main draws since 2014. Winning 43 out of 61 matches played.
