Dominic Thiem reveals the most ‘frustrating’ aspect of playing Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros
Dominic Thiem recalls his first two Grand Slam final experiences- the French Open 2018 and 2019 which he played against Rafael Nadal.
Follow Us
Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal (via X)
Dominic Thiem has played four Grand Slam finals. The Austrian played his first and second Grand Slam final against Rafael Nadal at the French Open 2018 and 2019. Thiem played his third Grand Slam final against Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open 2020. Later that year he went on to win his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open, where he came back from two sets down to defeat Alexander Zverev in the final.
Thiem spoke exclusively to Relevo, a Spanish sports website, about the two Grand Slam finals he lost to the ‘King of Clay’. Looking back now, Thiem said that he’s very proud of those two finals against Nadal. He remarked that playing just one Grand Slam final is an incredible achievement. He further added that it is very difficult to get there and it’s two very tough weeks of tournament play.
One of the most frustrating things is when you’re warming up on court just before the match starts and the speaker starts listing all his titles at Roland Garros. […] The crowd gets crazier and crazier and the noise gets louder and louder. It’s very frustrating for the opponent. It’s actually a wonderful thing because the crowd gets excited and everything goes crazy in an instant. ‘We’re playing against an absolute legend of tennis’ and things like that just reinforce that, but yeah, in the moment I can tell you it’s very frustrating.
Dominic Thiem via Relevo
Dominic Thiem cherishes the opportunity of having played the best player in clay court history twice at Roland Garros. Rafael Nadal won the tournament a record of 14 times, and twice of those he did it against Thiem, something that the Austrian is proud of.
Dominic Thiem doesn’t regret any of his matches with Rafael Nadal
Dominic Thiem further added that he tried to play his best tennis in both of the finals and he is very proud of that, especially the second one. He described his preparation for the match as really well and thinks that both of them played at a very high level.
Thiem remarked that when one is in the final of a Grand Slam it’s because they’re playing well. Their physique is in good shape, fresh, and he described that there were no secrets between Nadal and him. There were no special instructions, Thiem added. He knew what he was up against and at the Roland Garros, Nadal was too good for him, the Austrian remarked.
Thiem described that he felt prepared to beat Nadal, and was sure that if he competed at 100% he could do it. He remarked that he thinks that’s the mentality with which one will have to go into a Grand Slam final or any match against a legend like Nadal.
Stay Updated!
Lakshya Chopra
(2612 Articles Published)