Dominic Thiem against the (Ex) -NextGen: Looks pretty good
Dominic Thiem is seen by many experts as the man who is most likely to win a Grand Slam tournament after Novak Djokovic , Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer . Compared to the next generation, the Austrian mostly has the edge.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Apr 06, 2020, 09:20 am
In the Race to Milan, the best U21 players have been fighting for a place at the #NextGen final tournament in Milan, a show fight in which the ATP wants to give a glimpse into the future. With regard to the participating players, but also possible rule changes. The game is played with sets up to four, with a score of 3: 3 there is a tie break up to five, line judges have been declared obsolete, the network surcharge has been abolished, and more.
Dominic Thiem was never able to participate in Milan, the tournament was only introduced after the now 26-year-old had exceeded the age limit. What happens to the # NextGen Masters this season is in the stars, the good news from an Austrian perspective is that Jurij Rodionov is currently fifth in the race.
Zverev and Tsitsipas win ATP finals
Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are no longer in the race due to age. While the Greek is noted in the winning lists, Zverev saved up for the “big” Masters, the ATP Finals. And won there in 2018, just like Tsitsipas in Milan (a year later he won the title in London). From the still young generation, Zverev and Tsitsipas are probably the ones who are most likely to contest Dominic Thiem for a possible Grand Slam title. And we also looked at three other candidates in direct comparison.
Dominic Thiem vs. Alexander Zverev: Head-to-Head 7-2
The two most recent encounters between Thiem and Zverev were of a fairly weighty nature, as they all took place at the semi-final level: First at the ATP Finals in London in late 2019, where Thiem was able to assert himself in two sentences. And then at the Australian Open, where the Austrian won the court after four narrow rounds. Zverev's greatest success against Thiem, in turn, also took place on a large stage: in 2018 in the final of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid. Basically, however, Thiem seems to like Zverev's game. Or rather the other way round: The German does not always know what to do with the many playful possibilities of his buddy: slice, spin, short balls - Thiem has all of this in his repertoire. And with that Zverev can be excellently tortured.
Dominic Thiem vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas: Head-to-Head 4: 3
The development leap that Stefanos Tsitsipas has taken from the first meeting with Thiem in Doha 2018 to the ATP final in London 2019 is enormous. Tsitsipas has worked on his weaknesses and is now on par with the very best, especially in athletic terms. Dominic Thiem is one of them. What is striking about Tsitsipas is his offensive approach when the games are on the knife edge. Since he acts like Thiem more on the backhand side of his opponent.
Dominic Thiem vs. Karen Khachanov: Head-to-Head 2-1
Khachanov is three years younger than Thiem - and overwhelmed him at the first meeting in Paris-Bercy in late 2018. As it turned out, in the best week of his life, because in the final of this tournament the Russian won the greatest title of his career against Novak Djokovic. In the meantime, Thiem has taken the lead in the internal balance sheet, winning the French Open last year was very convincing. However, on faster surfaces, Khachanov remains dangerous. Even if Dominic Thiem narrowly won the last game in the semi-finals of Beijing 2019.
Dominic Thiem vs. Daniil Medvedev: Head-to-Head 2-1
Compared to Medvedev, the situation is extremely confusing: At the first meeting in St. Petersburg in 2018, which Thiem narrowly won, the Russian was still far from the form that was to take him to the final of the US Open almost a year later. In the Barcelona 2019 final, Medvedev was just as flat as a Thiem who was already sick in Montreal last summer. The current year has not had any highlights ready for Medvedev, but the big tasks would only come with the summer tournaments from Washington. Behind which there is a huge question mark right now.
Dominic Thiem vs. Denis Shapovalov: Head-to-Head 2.5: 0
Yes, we only count Thiem half a victory for success in the Laver Cup. Even if the ATP has had these games in its official statistics since 2019. In any case, Shapovalov would still be eligible for the # NextGen Masters this year, approaching a win in the encounters with Thiem. A match tie-break had to be decided in that Laver Cup game, before that in Montreal Thiem just saved himself. But not in full possession of his powers. Under optimal conditions on both sides, the Austrian should be one step ahead: Dominic Thiem can pull off a game too consistently, while Shapovalov always fails on the backhand side.