The Australian Open 2021 is less than two weeks away but before that, Tennis Australia has planned quite a few exhibition matches in Adelaide. In one of those exciting encounters, Rafael Nadal thrashed Dominic Thiem in straight sets to begin his campaign on a high. The match lasted for less than 90 minutes, and its final scoreline was 7-5, 6-4.

In the post-match interview, Dominic Thiem praised Rafael Nadal for his splendid performance. He also said that he felt quite a relief after winning the US Open 2020 as he lost two Grand Slam finals against Rafa earlier.

“Winning a Grand Slam took a lot of pressure off me. I lost three finals before that. Two of them against this guy,” said the World No.3 player.

Thiem played against Rafa at the French Open finals in 2018 and 2019 and lost on both occasions. This was his first match in 2021 and he lost this one against Nadal as well. He was certainly disappointed with his performance but sarcastically commented that Rafa doesn’t share anything about his game with him.

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“Doesn’t share too much”- Dominic Thiem on Rafael Nadal

In the same interview, Thiem was also asked whether Nadal shared something about his game or gave him some tips. In response to this, Thiem laughed and gave a witty reply.

“Nah! He doesn’t share too much, especially at the French Open, nothing,” replied Thiem.

It was surely something that made the fans laugh. On the other hand, it is also quite surprising that Rafa doesn’t like to share much about his game and style of play. Thiem seized the opportunity and joked about it.

Thiem certainly believes that Rafa should share some basic things about his game, especially about the way he plays at the Roland Garros. The reason is quite obvious as Nadal has 13 French Open titles and has lost just two matches there to date.

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It is definitely not one of the greatest starts for Thiem. After this, the Austrian will head to the ATP Cup 2021 where he’ll be facing Matteo Berrettini in his first match. Will Thiem be able to win his maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne this year despite a poor start against Rafa?

Also Read: Dominic Thiem feels Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic small step above next gens at the Australian Open 2021