NEW YORK – A US Open unlike any other ended unlike any other – with an unprecedented fifth-set tiebreaker, when Dominic Thiem became the first man in 71 years to win the tournament final after losing the first two sets.
So close to defeat in a nearly empty Arthur Ashe Stadium – fans have been banned due to the coronavirus pandemic – Thiem slowly but surely turned things around against a faltering Alexander Zverev and rose to a 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (6) win at Flushing Meadows to earn his first Grand Slam title.
When a backhand from Zverev went wide on the third point of the championship, a tired Thiem fell behind the baseline and covered his face with his hands. When he got up, he was greeted by Zverev, who circled the net to shake hands, then hug his friend and foe, two rarely seen in this era of social distancing.
Thiem then rested his head on the shoulder of taller Zverev, a 23-year-old German who in turn came within two points of what would have been his first major triumph.
“I wish we could have two winners today – said Thiem -. I think we both deserved it.”
The 27-year-old Austrian is the first man to win the American Grand Slam tournament after being 2-0 behind in the final since Pancho Gonzales did so against Ted Schroeder in 1949 in an event then known as the United States Championships and held in Forest Hills.
The event was never resolved by a fifth set tiebreaker; no major tournament has ever had until Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer like that at Wimbledon in 2019.
“I wish you were lost a little more so you could keep that trophy,” Zverev said, choking when he mentioned his parents, “but here I am, giving the runner-up speech. ‘ ‘
As Thiem approached to pose for photos with his new piece of hardware, Zverev stood a few paces away, one hand clutching his less impressive silver tray, the other hand on his hip.
The process lasted 4 hours and 2 minutes. And to think: after only 1 hour and a half, Zverev was leading by two sets and a break in the third at 2-1.
But Zverev, of all people, should have known that what at the time might have seemed like an impossible hill to climb because Thiem was truly achievable. After all, in Thursday’s semi-finals, it was Zverev who scored 2-0 in the set against Pablo Carreno Busta before returning to win.
Thiem started the day 0-3 in the Grand Slam finals, but has always faced a member of the Big Three of men’s tennis in the other ones. This time around, he was the favorite and came out nervous, but eventually managed to get out of it as Zverev went from cold and confident to passive and pushed around.
The fifth set went back and forth like the other four, the mistakes escalated with the tension and story in sight.
Thiem broke in the opening match when Zverev scored a couple of forehand. Zverev immediately interrupted – and pierced the silence with a rare cry of “Let’s go!” – when Thiem dubbed.
Then it was Zverev’s turn to nose ahead, snatching a 5-3 lead when Thiem sent a backhand down the wide line and leaned in, out of breath.
But with a chance to serve the biggest win of his fledgling career, Zverev hesitated, crashing quickly when he pushed a volley into the net.
This started a three-game streak for Thiem, who broke to lead 6-5, earning his own chance to serve when Zverev hit a backhand, followed by a long forehand.
After having a trainer check his right leg during the next format change, Thiem also failed to close the deal, and they went for the tiebreaker.
While this was Zverev’s first No. 7 Grand Slam final, this was the first Thiem should have won, following defeats to 12-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in 2018 and 2019, then all. ‘eight-time Australian Open champion Djokovic at Melbourne Park this February, before the pandemic shocked the world and put tennis on a five-month hiatus.
Instead of wild cheers and loud shouts that greet big exchanges, Sunday’s soundtrack comes mostly from outside the largest tennis court, courtesy of roaring airplanes, roaring trains, car engines running, horns and wailing sirens. There was the occasional polite applause of the dozens of tournament workers allowed into the stands and, deep inside the match, the screams of the players’ entourages.
But the loudest crowd noise heard by viewers was false, added by the broadcaster.
Unable to draw support in what has always been an electric environment, on an evening that felt more like a glorified practice session than a game with so much at stake, both men were sometimes lazy, even listless. The game was hardly perfect: they joined for 120 unforced errors to only 95 winners. In a curious parallel, Zverev balanced his 15 aces with 15 double faults and Thiem had eight in each category.
Normally, the US Open closes every Grand Slam season, but what about 2020 was that normal?
“Strange times”, Thiem called him.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Wimbledon was canceled for the first time since World War II, while the French Open has been postponed from its originally scheduled early May start and will now begin in two weeks.
Then the world of tennis quickly switches to European clay after an unusual hard doubleheading of two tournaments at Flushing Meadows – which US Tennis Association CEO Mike Dowse acknowledged on Sunday sounded like a “crazy idea” at one point.
The US Open was preceded at its venue by the Western & Southern Open, which moved from Ohio to New York as part of a “controlled environment” to restrict travel.
Another way the whole event was different: Federer, Nadal and Djokovic had won the previous 13 major trophies. But Federer and Nadal did not enter the US Open, while Djokovic was deemed in default in the fourth round for accidentally hitting a touch judge with a ball he hit angrily after dropping a match.
Thiem was the one who took advantage of the opportunity to sneak into the champions club.
“I want to congratulate Dominic on the first of many Grand Slam titles,” said Zverev. “I think this is not the only one”.
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