Dominic Thiem names two ATP youngsters who “are really going to be at the top” of the ATP

Joao Fonseca and Jakub Mensik have taken the tennis world by storm this season winning the Argentina Open and Miami Open, respectively.

Dominic Thiem names two ATP youngsters who “are really going to be at the top” of the ATP

Dominic Thiem (via Eurosport)

Dominic Thiem has been very impressed by two ATP youngsters this season. Three teenagers, Joao Fonseca, Jakub Mensik, and Learner Tien, have made headlines with their talented performance this year. However, Thiem believes that Fonseca and Mensik are the players who are already at the top of their game.

Fonseca took the ATP by storm this season with his near-flawless performance against Andrey Rublev in the first round of the Australian Open. The 18-year-old wasted no time in lifting his maiden title at the Argentina Open. He made his debut at the Miami Open, where he defeated Learner Tien and Ugo Humbert before losing to Alex de Minaur in the third round.

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On the other hand, Mensik announced himself to the world in Miami. Before the ATP 1000 Masters tournament, he had managed to reach the quarter-finals of Auckland Classics in January. But in Florida, the Czech Republic star defeated three top 10 players, including Novak Djokovic, to win the biggest title of his career.

Thiem, who retired last year’s was on the sidelines at the BMW Open. He was then asked what are the players he believes are the future of men’s tennis. The Austrian revealed that Mensik and Fonseca are the two players he believes are already at the top of their game.

Mensik and Fonseca are amazing. I love to watch them. They already made it. There is no question they are really going to be at the top. Mensik won Miami, and Fonseca already won Buenos Aires. They are already at the top, and now it’s really interesting to see players like Diego and Justin Engel because they are still a little bit lower ranked. Mensik and Fonseca, I could watch them every week on the TV, but it’s also interesting to watch somebody for the first time.

Dominic Thiem said via ATP

Fonseca took a break after the hard court season but will be back for his clay opener at the Madrid Open while Mensik competed at the BMW Open. However, he was knocked out of the competition in the first round against 33-year-old Yannick Hanfmann.

Dominic Thiem says he’s enjoying retirement but still loves the sport

Dominic Thiem brought to an end his tennis career in 2024 after a persistent wrist injury prevented him from returning to his best form. At his best, he reached the World No.3 and claimed the 2020 US Open after beating Alexander Zverev. Now retired, he said during the aforementioned interview that he is enjoying his time away from the sport.

Dominic Thiem (via Laver Cup)

I’m enjoying retirement. It’s nice. ’m completely in a different department now, with my company, with renewable energy, but of course I’ll always remain in tennis, and I love the sport. It’s really nice to see a tournament from a different perspective, and I’m enjoying it a lot.

Dominic Thiem said

The 31-year-old was considered one of the best talents of his generation. He was among the few players, who defeated the Big 3 and was known for his magical backhand technique that always terrorized opponents.

Dominic Thiem says he doesn’t miss the competitiveness of the tour

Dominic Thiem has retired from professional tennis and he certainly does not miss the competitiveness of the tour. The former World No.3 was in attendance for the BMW Open match between defending champion Jan-Lennard Struff and Francisco Cerundolo and was the one who tossed the coin for the match. He opened up about not missing anything about tennis as a retired player.

Dominic Thiem
Dominic Thiem (Image via X)

To be in the position for those winning feelings, it’s a very long and very hard road. I know what it takes and I’m not missing that part at all, so it’s a good combination.

Dominic Thiem said

The match between Struff and Cerundolo ended in favor of the former in 6-0, 6-2. Cerundolo progressed to the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 tournament after beating Alexander Shevchenko 6-3, 6-2 in the Round of 16.