US Open: Dominic Thiem has finally picked up speed
Dominic Thiem is in the quarter-finals of the US Open for the second time. There the Austrian will meet Alex de Minaur from Australia on Wednesday.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Sep 08, 2020, 12:43 am
Andy Roddick rarely struck Roger Federer , but was able to observe very closely what makes the Swiss so special. Everyone sees serve and forehand, so Roddick, a great, although underestimated quality of Federer is on his defensive. If Félix Auger-Aliassime one day looks back on his very first encounter with Dominic Thiem in the round of 16 of the US Open 2020, he might come to the same conclusion.
Because the way the Austrian adjusted to the power tennis of his opponent with the continuation of the match at Arthur Ashe Stadium always had Federerian qualities. Especially in the transition between defensive and offensive, which of course the two best players of our time, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal , have mastered perfectly.
Thiem like 2018 in the quarterfinals
It is now common knowledge that these three legends are no longer at the start of the US Open 2020, for different reasons. Thiem is number three in the ATP world rankings according to paper form favorite, in the quarter-finals against Alex de Minaur for sure. Thiem played the Australian twice and defeated it just as often, even if it was not always easy on both occasions. For de Minaur it will be the first appearance in the last eight at the US Open, Thiem had the pleasure of playing against Nadal in 2018 when he lost in the tie-break of the fifth set.
His routine would be his greatest advantage, Dominic Thiem had emphasized before the game against "FAA". Which then also came true in the match. "A bit in the tie-break in the first set, because I know more precisely than he does how important a first set is in a Grand Slam match where it's best-of-five," Thiem said in his press conference. "I played the tie-break very, very well, didn't make any unforced mistakes. And I also knew that you normally have a very slight break after a set like this. Then I broke it to make it 2-0 and then finally played myself free . These are little things that you learn over the years - and which you can't have at the age of 20. "
Satisfaction with the backhand
Thiem worked on the stability of his backhand during the Corona break, which his team identified as a weak point in the final of the Australian Open against Novak Djokovic. "Today I noticed it for the first time with the backhand, where I was really solid with the backhand, especially in the second and third sets, also on the return on the second serve, when it pushed me far back. I hardly have any more mistakes The goal was to train the backhand so that it is like the forehand. I don't have to keep winning with it, but just play it in so that the opponent can't do anything. "
And at some point he could take the initiative himself. Which will also be important against de Minaur. But only at the right time - because if you put pressure on the nimble Australian too early and catch up on the network, you would usually be punished for it.