Dominic Thiem and the US Open victory: that hasn't happened since 1949 ...
Dominic Thiem has fulfilled his lifelong dream and won his first major title in the fourth Grand Slam final. The game against Alexander Zverev is one for the memoirs for several reasons - here are the crazy numbers and facts about the Thiem victory!
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Sep 14, 2020, 08:07 am
Thiem is the first male Grand Slam tournament winner who was born in the 1990s. The first from the 1980s? Incidentally, Marat Safin was also in New York 20 years ago.
Thiem is only the fifth player of the Open era to turn a 2-0 set deficit into a win. The other names: Björn Borg, Ivan Lendl, Andre Agassi and Gaston Gaudio.
At the US Open? You have to look back to 1949, i.e. the time before the Open era: Back then it was Pancho Gonzales. Incidentally, also in front of (at least partially) empty ranks, as tennis journalist Chris Clarey of the New York Times noted.
Only once before was a final at the US Open decided in a tie-break in the fifth set: in 1987, when Stefan Edberg and Anders Jarryd triumphed in doubles against Ken Flach and Robert Seguso.
Finally, a crazy fact about final opponent Zverev: He is the first player in tennis history who turned a 2-0 set deficit to victory in the semifinals of a Grand Slam - and gave up a 2-0 set lead in the subsequent final.
