Dominic Thiem Hits Back at People Downgrading His US Open Victory in Absence of Big Three

Published 03/15/2021, 1:53 AM EDT

Austrian World No. 4 Dominic Thiem won the 2020 US Open in the absence of the big three. Thus, many have claimed that the result would have been different if Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, or Novak Djokovic had played.

While the Swiss maestro was out for the season due to knee surgery, the Spaniard withdraw because of health risks. The Serbian World No. 1 participated in the tournament but was then disqualified after he accidentally struck a linesperson.

The tournament then saw the two young guns, Austrian Dominic Thiem and German Alexander Zverev reached the finals. After being two sets down, the 27-year-old from Vienna heroically scored his maiden Grand Slam title.

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What does Thiem think about having got his title in the absence of the big three? In an interview at the Dubai Duty Free Championship, the Austrian spoke about this.

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A Grand Slam is always worth the same, says Dominic Thiem

The question which stood in front of the Austrian was whether he would have won the title with the big three playing. He confidently answered, “Nobody knows if I would have won it, but, well, I have the title, and that’s all that counts.”

Moreover, Thiem had been a runner-up at three Grand Slams between 2018 and 2020. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before he converted his shortcomings into a Slam win.

The Austrian had a better way of justifying his win. He explained that there was also a time before the big three, and nobody asks if Grand Slam titles were worth more or less back than and the same applied now.

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In the end, Thiem clarified that he is and will always be the winner of the 2020 US Open no matter what. “A Grand Slam title is always worth the same, so there is really no need to even think about it. After all, my name is on the trophy, and it always will be,” he concluded.

Moving forward, the 27-year-old has eyes on the 2021 French Open, where he finished second to Rafael Nadal twice. Along with that, Dominic is looking forward to competing in his first Olympic Games.

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Hopefully, the Austrian will prove his mettle to the tennis world in time by adding more Slams to his cabinet. For now, he is playing at the Dubai Open and searching for his rhythm for the season.

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Purav Joshi is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports. Having a degree in Films, Television and Media Production, he guided his passion for writing and journalism into the sport of aces and rallies. With over 2 years of experience as a copywriter, Purav has authored over 500 tennis articles.

Dominic Thiem Hits Back at People Downgrading His US Open Victory in Absence of Big Three

A Grand Slam is always worth the same, says Dominic Thiem

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