75% of victories against the “Big 3” in two years: Thiem has really changed dimension

We may soon have to talk about a new “Big Four”. Dominic Thiem has settled for two seasons in a category which brings him singularly close to the best in world tennis. The Austrian, who celebrated his 27th birthday this year, seems to be reaching a form of fulfillment. His first Grand Slam title, conquered during the last US Open, is the most concrete manifestation of it, even if, on the way to victory, he did not have to cross one of the three giants of current tennis, Novak Djokovic. , Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

The fact remains that, even in front of them, he now has a response and even a little more than that. At the end of 2018, Thiem had a cumulative record of 7 wins for 15 losses against these three players. But for two seasons, in 2019 and 2020, it has caused them at least as many problems as the opposite. The proof, against Nadal, Djokovic and Federer, his success rate has clearly increased. Over the past two years, here is his record against the Big Three:

Dominic Thiem has therefore won 75% (9 out of 12) of the matches played against the Serbian, the Spanish and the Swiss for two years. Against Djokovic, he even remains on five wins in their last seven encounters. Gradually taking the measure of these illustrious opponents, Thiem became on Saturday the second player to count at least five victories since the start of his career against Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. So far, only Andy Murray could boast of such a hunting table. All the more remarkable as he managed to get the better of Nadal on clay, to beat Federer on grass and Djokovic on hard as well as indoors.

The only downside in this exceptional record, two of the Austrian’s three defeats over this period were conceded in two Grand Slam finals: at Roland Garros in June 2019 against Rafael Nadal, then in Melbourne in January 2020 against Novak Djokovic. He has already dominated both on the biggest stages (Nadal in Melbourne, Djokovic twice in Paris), but if he had been able to win one of these two finals, the balance of power would be even more convincing. .

Despite everything, if he wins Sunday in the final, it will be legitimate to consider Dominic Thiem as the man of the year. And this even as Djokovic will finish at the top of the hierarchy in the ATP ranking. With a Grand Slam victory, the Masters and another major final to his credit, he would place himself, at least as far as the biggest tournaments are concerned, above everyone else. What if the Austrian sets out to conquer the world number one position in 2021?