Novak Djokovic is one of the toughest opponents on the court. This is true even on a hard court.The Serb rules Melbourne Park and recently won his 10th Australian Open title. This year, he displayed a dominant performance on the court, evaporating any challenge.
Every opponent of the 22-time Grand Slam champion has a story to tell about him. A similar story is told by Dominic Thiem. The Austrian reached the final of the 2020 Australian Open. But he could not pass the challenge of Novak Djokovic. In a marathon match that lasted for five sets, the Serbian beat the Austrian 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final to claim his career’s then-8th Australian Open title.
In his latest interview, Dominic Thiem highlighted how Novak Djokovic beat him despite the 29-year-old being in great form. Eminent sports journalist Sasa Ozmo shared an excerpt of the interview on social media.
On 2020 AO final: "At that time, I was at the peak of my abilities – physically and tennis-wise. And I still lost in five sets to Novak. I almost could not have played any better and I still lost. That says it all".
— Saša Ozmo (@ozmo_sasa) February 4, 2023
From an interview with @LugonjicNovaTV.
“On 2020 AO final: “At that time, I was at the peak of my abilities – physically and tennis-wise. And I still lost in five sets to Novak. I almost could not have played any better and I still lost. That says it all”,” the caption read.
Dominic Thiem subsequently won the US Open 2020 men’s singles title. He also claimed the world No. 3 rank that year. However, he is still waiting to win his career’s maiden Grand Slam in Melbourne, Australia.
Keep Exploring: Martina Navratilova ridicules Marjorie Taylor Greene after the congresswoman complained about her ‘too low’ salary
Novak Djokovic v Dominic Thiem: Head to Head
The current world No. 1 and Dominic Thiem have met each other 12 times on the court in various tournaments. They met for the first time in the second round of the Shanghai Masters tournament in 2014. Here, Novak Djokovic defeated the 29-year-old in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion has defeated the US Open 2020 champion seven out of 12 times in his career. Dominic Thiem, on the other hand, has exacted his vengeance on numerous occasions.He defeated the 10-time Australian Open champion for the first time in the semi-final round match at the 2017 French Open.
However, after winning his maiden US Open trophy, the Austrian’s career took a decisive downward turn. He had to miss the majority of the 2021 season due to injuries. He also struggled with form and dropped out of the ATP 300 rankings. However, he made his return in the 2022 season and is currently ranked No. 96 in the world.
The last encounter between the two was in the semi-final round of the ATP Finals 2020. Here, Dominic Thiem came on top of Novak Djokovic and defeated him 7-5, 6-7, 7-6. Tennis fans are waiting for these two players to meet again.
Incase you missed it:
