ATP Finals 2020: Dominic Thiem - bitter end of a dream season
The 2020 season has ended forDominic Thiem with a painful final defeat against Daniil Medvedev . Despite the recent bankruptcy in the final of the ATP Finals, the Austrian can look back on a dream season.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Nov 23, 2020, 12:19 am
When Dominic Thiem crowned himself Grand Slam winner for the first time in his career on September 14, 2020 at 2:20 a.m. Central European time, the Austrian had achieved the goal of his dreams. He had fulfilled a “lifelong dream” with the win in New York, the Lichtenwörther would emphasize again and again in the days that followed.
Thiem could hardly enjoy the major triumph, after all, three weeks after the tournament, the French Open was on the program. In these, however, the world number three retired as well as almost a month later at the home tournament in Vienna in the quarter-finals.
At both events, Thiem was physically anything but 100 percent, also an effect of the calendar, which was once again brutal this season, in the late phase of the season. For the last tournament of the year, the ATP Finals, the 27-year-old should return to full strength.
Thiem leaves "huge chance" against Medvedev
Thiem promptly demonstrated once again that he has long since caught up with the greats of the tennis scene. In the group phase he defeated Rafael Nadal in what was probably the best match of the tournament, in the semi-finals the Lower Austrian prevailed against world number one Novak Djokovic thanks to a mental masterpiece .
In the final, the man of the hour awaited with Paris-Bercy winner Daniil Medvedev. Initially, the Russian should not find any means against the powerful and at the same time so varied game of the Austrian, in the second set, however, Thiem left out three breakballs on a possible preliminary decision - in particular a devious ball on the net worried the 27-year-old immensely even after the game .
This year and the last one were incredible.
Dominic Thiem
"I even had a huge chance to take the lead set and break - the ball wasn't that easy now, but of course I have to play it," said Thiem after the bitter defeat in the three sets. Otherwise, the Lichtenwörther was satisfied with his schedule, but at the ATP Finals it could happen that you lose despite a good performance. That just happened on Sunday.
Thiem wants to move up in the ranking
With his level - especially in the big tournaments - the Austrian was overall more than happy: Final in Australia, victory at the US Open, quarter-finals in Roland Garros and the finals at the ATP Finals. Yes, this year Dominic Thiem is more than impressive.
"When I talk about my tennis, my job, it was an outstanding year. Although it was a difficult year, it will always have a special place in my heart 100 percent," said Thiem after the best season of his career so far. "This year and the last one were incredible."
Thiem should not have reached the end of the flagpole yet: "Of course I want to keep climbing up the ranking." To do this, he will need similarly good results at the big tournaments in 2021 as he did this year, said the world number three, who did not lose sight of the overall global situation even at the moment of the bitter defeat: "I hope the pandemic will end very soon so that people will work again and have a normal life. " Dominic Thiem - not just a great player on the tennis court.
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