ATP Masters Madrid: Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and the match after
Dominic Thiem andAlexander Zverev meet in the semifinals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid. It will be the first match between the two since the epic 2020 US Open Final.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: May 08, 2021, 11:19 am
There they stood, the two new German-speaking tennis heroes, in the middle of the deserted Arthur Ashe Stadium. Both with tears in their eyes and visibly touched emotionally. And yet the emotional situation with Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev on this Sunday evening in New York couldn't have been more different. One of them had fulfilled his lifelong dream minutes before, the other had missed by a millimeter from achieving the very same thing.
While the two exceptional talent had not given each other anything for more than four hours, despite physical and mental difficulties, the viewers in front of the television set witnessed the mutual respect for each other at the award ceremony that followed. "First of all, I would like to congratulate Dominic on his first of many Grand Slam titles. I think it won't be your last," said Zverev after the bitterest defeat of his career.
Great respect between Thiem and Zverev
But Thiem also showed respect for the performance of the Hamburg native: "We have known each other for many years and are good friends. Like both of them, we have played many hot matches on the pitch. I think we both deserved the win. You did 100 percent. You made your family and your fans proud. At some point you will win this title too. "
There were emotional scenes on this September 13th, 2020. And yet the world turned mercilessly on in the tennis circus. After his first major triumph, Thiem struggled with the effects of the final almost even more than Zverev, a mental low and an associated break in the spring of this year were the result.
But even with his final opponent, the match has not been forgotten for a long time. "Everyone remembers the US Open final that we played. I certainly remember it. That will be somewhere in the back of my head tomorrow," Zverev had shown after his quarter-final triumph in Madrid over Rafael Nadal.
With the victory over the Spaniard, the 24-year-old fixed the first meeting with Thiem since the unforgettable night in New York, overall, the two good friends will face each other for the eleventh time. In a direct comparison, the Austrian clearly leads 8: 2, the last four encounters all went to the Lichtenwörther. Zverev knows that too: "He has won against me the last couple of times. Somehow the matches always went his way."
Zverev 2018 against Thiem successful
"But I'm looking forward to it. The matches against Dominic are always very spectacular," added the world number six, who clearly won the only duel between the two in Madrid in two sets. A match that also preoccupies Thiem before they see the German again. "I was in the final against Sascha in 2018," recalled the 27-year-old after his quarter-final victory over John Isner.
On Saturday, however, Zverev is now another much bigger hurdle. "It will be by far the toughest test at this tournament," said Thiem. But one thing should already be certain, despite the great importance of the semi-final game: It will probably not be as emotional in the match afterwards as in New York.
Here the single tableau in Madrid
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