It had been 14 consecutive Grand Slams without anyone other than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic emerging as champion. But then, at the 2020 US Open, two of these three greats – Federer and Nadal – remained absent, while Djokovic was disqualified in the fourth round. And so, we went on to get a first-time Major winner in Dominic Thiem.
There was a wave of optimism in men’s tennis at that time as someone from the “next gen” finally broke through. When Thiem lifted the trophy, the Arthur Ashe Stadium – the biggest tennis arena in the world – was mostly empty because of Covid-19 restrictions, but there was hope that it was the start of something special.
What followed, however, was a devastating run for the Austrian. He had spent over five years in the top 10, going as high as No.3 in the rankings, but a career-threatening wrist injury in June 2021 triggered a free fall and he saw his ranking plummet to 352 a year later.
Thiem got to the fourth round at the 2021 Australian Open but from there on, he suffered first-round exits at six Majors. One of the most explosive players of his generation, he kept turning up at tournaments but looked a shadow of his former self.
Finally, though, that wretched run ended on Monday as he registered his first victory at a Grand Slam in 927 days. And in a sweet coincidence, this win came at the US Open, the tournament where his career had peaked three years ago.
To put things in perspective, Djokovic, who now has the most men’s singles Grand Slam titles at 23, had 17 to his name the last time Thiem won a match at a Major. While Carlos Alcaraz, the next big thing in the sport, was ranked 142 in February 2021.
“It’s a pretty special victory because it’s the first in two and a half years in Grand Slams,” said Thiem after his 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win over 25th seed Alexander Bublik. “Especially at the US Open because of all the memories I have here.”
It was Thiem’s first hard court win this year, which took his win-loss ratio for 2023 to 14-18. The 29-year-old showed plenty of glimpses of his best, rushing to the net consistently while also crushing his single-handed backhand from the baseline. He had reached the final of an ATP 250 clay event in his home country earlier this month, and the confidence he gained from that run was there for all to see.
Reflecting on the arduous journey he has had over the past few years, Thiem said he tried to remain focussed on the positives.
“It was a very good road for me,” he said. “Especially personally I was learning a lot, so I don’t want to miss anything in this road, but obviously tennis-wise or sports-wise was not easy all the time. So that’s why I’m even happier that I got the win today. I had some good previous weeks as well with the first finals after the injury.”
Regaining trust in his wrist hasn’t been easy but Thiem said he never thought of quitting the sport despite the relentless setbacks he faced. “Still a little bit too young for that I guess,” he said. His skills were never in doubt, it’s the mental battle that’s been a bigger challenge for him.
“With every success, with every match, especially with bigger successes or better weeks like I had in Austria when I played my first finals or also here, back on winning ways in Grand Slams, it helps a lot on the mental side and to get the full trust again in the wrist.”
Thiem will now be up against American youngster Ben Shelton in the second round. They’ve faced each other just once before, on clay earlier this year in Portugal, with Thiem coming out on top in straight sets. Having tasted success at a Major after a long, long time, the former champion is hungry for more.
“It’s a good feeling,” said Thiem. “I’m really looking forward to the next one.”
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