“The change of match balls will be a bigger difference than weather at RG 2020,” says Dominic Thiem

“The change of match balls will be a bigger difference than weather at RG 2020,” says Dominic Thiem

Dominic Thiem 1

Dominic Thiem

US Open 2020 titlist Dominic Thiem aced his first major Grand Slam squashing Alexander Zverev in a tight five-set finals faceoff. The 27 year old clay court specialist now aims for his next majors’ crown at the French Open. The past two years of the tournament had seen the Austrian losing out to Rafael Nadal in the finals.

However, standing as one of the most favourites for the title this year, Thiem will approach Roland Garros with a completely different aura of a newly crowned Grand Slam champion. Rafael Nadal, known as the ‘King of Clay’ with 12 crowns for the tournament and World No. 1, Novak Djokovic stands ahead of Thiem in the top picks.

“The balls will certainly change the results a bit,” remarks Thiem

Dominic Thiem

The year’s last major stands quite different from the previous years. Instead of its usual schedule of the warm and sunny May-June, the tournament kickstarts later this week in very different and cold weather. Further, the pandemic break has had an effect on the players’ fitness and match sharpness. These factors are believed to largely impact the competition at Roland Garros.  

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The 27 year old, however, thinks otherwise.

“I can remember, in the 2016 semifinals against Djokovic it was 11 degrees,” Thiem said. “It won’t get much colder,” Them remarked at a recent media interaction.

Also Read: Dominic Thiem reveals his favourite player, calls Roger Federer a “superstar”

The only thing bothering him is the subtle but significant change of match balls. The long-term partnership with Babolat has been ceased and switched to Wilson by the French Tennis authorities. The latter are reported to be lighter, slower and less bouncy. He also affirmed that the Rafa will be facing a similar issue.

“That will be the bigger difference,” asserted Thiem. “The Babolat were actually my favorite balls, they were nice and fast, perfect for my game, perfect for Nadal’s game too. The new balls will be slower, more open. That will certainly change the results a bit,” the Austrian added.

Heading straight for Roland Garros after a well-rested break post winning his first US Open title, the Austrian is going to be a thrilling favourite for the crown in Paris, this October.

Also Read: Dominic Thiem can stop Novak Djokovic in surpassing Roger Federer’s record: Former TOP 10