Dominic Thiem thinks that the Next Gen players are ready to make a major impact on the Grand Slam stage and could replace the “old guard” in the near future.
Dominic Thiem reached the first Grand Slam final of his career at Roland Garros before losing to 11-time champion Rafael Nadal in the title match. He became the second Austrian player to reach a Grand Slam final after 1995 Roland Garros champion Thomas Muster. In Madrid Thiem ended Nadal’s 50-set clay win streak becoming the only player to beat the Spanish legend on this surface since Novak Djokovic in the quarter final at the Masters 1000 tournament in Rome 2016.
The four Grand Slam tournaments were dominated once again by the Big Three (Roger Federer at the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros and Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon and at the US Open). Djokovic ended the year ranked world number 1 ahead of Nadal and Federer, but Thiem said during an interview to Westfalen that it would be just a matter of time before the new generation takes over Djokovic, Nadal and Federer.
“I am not impatient, but of course it’s about time that one of us finally wins a Grand Slam title. That’s very clear. With Federer, Nadal and Djokovic it’s just about the number of titles that they have, but the fact that they are some of the best players of all time. It is a great pleasure for us younger players to be able to compete with them because we will continue to play when they are no longer around. However, at some point the change of the guard must come from. I am sure next, or at latest in two years, someone other than them will win a Grand Slam tournament”, said Thiem.
At the 2018 US Open the player coached by Gunther Bresnik beat Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson in straight sets to reach his first Grand Slam quarter final on hard court setting up a re-match of the Roland Garros final against Rafael Nadal in their first ever clash on a surface other than clay. Nadal won the fifth set tie-break 7-5 after a 4-hour and 49 minute battle which ended at 2.04 AM local time.
Thiem believes that consistency at high level is the key to be successful on the big stage.
“For me personally it’s the consistency, which distinguishes Djokovic, Federer and Nadal, that is still missing”, said Theim.
Thiem beat Djokovic in the quarter final to reach the Roland Garros semifinal in 2017, but he was beaten by the Spanish legend in three sets.
“They will beat one of the other players in the quarter final and then in the semifinal and in the final. I have beaten them, but in the next match or the day after you cannot keep up that level. As in 2017 in Paris I first won against Djokovic and then I played really bad against Nadal. I have an ultimate goal. A Grand Slam, one hundred percent. Which one. I don’t care. That’s my goal since becoming a pro”,concluded Thiem.
