Dominic Thiem on ATP NextGen players: "The best is Stefanos Tsitsipas"
Dominic Thiem is currently the only player under the age of 28 to reach a final in a Grand Slam tournament. While young players compete for great titles on the WTA tour, dominance among men seems to be limited to legendary veterans. Thiem nevertheless names a player who, in his opinion, will soon be fighting for major titles.
by Lukas Zahrer
last edit: Jun 13, 2019, 07:21 pm
Roger Federer (20), Rafael Nadal (18) and Novak Djokovic (15) have won a total of 53 Grand Slams since Wimbledon in 2003. Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka won three major titles during this period, surprise winners like Juan Martin del Potro (US Open 2009) or Marin Cilic (US Open 2014) remained the exception.
"The fact that no player with a vintage from the 90s has won a Grand Slam is due to the extraordinary performance of the Big 4," explained Thiem. But while the tennis scene is wondering how long the "old stars" can play the big titles among themselves, a new generation of professionals is pushing to the top of the world.
"There are a few players who will become absolute champions," says Thiem. Many of the ATP NextGen players are said to have great potential, the 25-year-old has a clear favorite for the future: "The best is Tsitsipas, who played a legendary match against Wawrinka at the French Open - one of the best of the season."
And further: “With the Australian Open semifinals and the Madrid finals, he has completely established himself at the top. From Wimbledon he is always good for a Grand Slam. "
Thiem about Zverev: "He will make the Grand Slam breakthrough"
While Tsitsipas can look back on a successful first half of the year, Alexander Zverev looks mixed after his triumph at the ATP Finals last autumn. But the German is still in the top 5 in the world rankings, in the Race to London he is currently in 9th place.
"Zverev has been at the top of the world for three years now," says Thiem of the 22-year-old. "He'll one day break through with a major, there's no question about it."
Apart from the two, there would be five or six other players, according to Thiem, who will be expected in the future. “It's interesting for fans, but also for us players, that you don't know that. It is exciting to see what comes next. "
Thiem then named another name: Felix Auger-Aliassime. “He is an incredible athlete, very agile and quick. The serve and forehand are real weapons. From 2020 he will be at the forefront. "