Dominic Thiem picks Roger Federer as the ‘most influential’ despite ruling him out of the GOAT debate
Dominic Thiem believes Roger Federer has unmatched influence despite being behind of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the Grand Slam tally.
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Dominic Thiem, Roger Federer
Much ink has been spilled over the years on the debate around the ‘Greatest Of All Time’ in tennis. The prolonged dominance of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic in the last two decades has left the commentators split. Currently, Nadal and Djokovic are tied at 22 Grand Slams each and the Swiss Maestro remains as celebrated as ever even after his retirement last year.
The Austrian star Dominic Thiem has now joined the debate with his opinion on the matter. According to him, Federer has something different about him when compared with the other names of the ‘Big Three’. He also mentioned how the number of Grand Slam titles should be the criterion to pick the ‘GOAT’.
“Federer will forever be the most influential tennis player, regardless of how much Nadal and Djokovic win. He has a special aura. He took tennis to another level and everyone benefited from it,” Thiem told Dnevnik Nova TV.
At the same time, Thiem ruled out the 20-time Major champion Federer as the GOAT. He claimed earlier, while talking to Eurosport, that the number of titles should be the only consideration and thus Nadal and Djokovic are ahead of the 41-year-old.
Dominic Thiem hopes to return to the top once again
The Austrian young gun Dominic Thiem was considered to be one of the most promising stars of the next-gen. He lived up to that expectation for some time and ascended to his highest ranking of 3 in March 2020. Later in the same year, the 29-year-old won the 2022 US Open defeating his German rival Alexander Zverev in the final.
That was his prime, after that, Thiem’s form started to decline. He suffered a right wrist injury, which led him to withdraw from the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. The 2022 season was the worst for him where he fell out of the top 300 of the rankings after the disappointing French Open. Though he later returned to the top 100 in October, ending his 2022 season.
Now he is eying to reverse the downfall and come back to the top. “I still believe that I will return to the top. I’m not there yet, but there’s a reason to keep playing, be competitive, and get back to that level. In Australia, I have had a tough picture. I also had a small injury, but I’m already recovered. I am very happy with the first Grand Slam of the season,” Thiem told Eurosport.
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Abhinavendu Singh
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