“He Served 227, 228”: Dominic Thiem Applauds Alexander Zverev, Accepts Couldn’t Do Much in Madrid Semifinals

Published 05/08/2021, 2:21 PM EDT

In the first semifinal of the 2021 Madrid Open, Alexander Zverev defeated Dominic Thiem in straight sets to book his place in the final. Entering the battle with a four-match losing streak against Thiem, Zverev’s impeccable service and powerful returns helped him in registering a victory.

During the post-match conference, Thiem heaped praise on Zverev and accepted his opponent deserved to win. Pointing to the last game, Thiem admitted Zverev’s incredibly fast service made it difficult to return.

“I mean, it was just not enough against Sascha, who played well, I think. I think if you, for example, look back on the last game, he served 227, 228. You cannot do too much. He was just the better player today. I 100% accept that,” said Thiem.

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Yesterday, Zverev knocked out the five-time Madrid Open champion, Rafael Nadal, in the quarterfinal in scintillating fashion. Seeded No.5, Zverev will now aim to win his second title in Madrid after having won his maiden trophy in 2018.

Dominic Thiem reflects on his performance

Having withdrawn from a slew of tournaments after his early round exit at the Dubai Open, Thiem came back on the tour after a month and a half. The US Open champion had cited mental exhaustion as the reason for his poor performances since the season’s inception and therefore took a brief break.

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Four-match losing streak SNAPPED ❌@AlexZverev records his first win over Thiem since the 2018 Madrid final, defeating him 6-3 6-4 to book his place in tomorrow’s final!#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/rzaBT4QCgb
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 8, 2021

Hence, despite the loss, Thiem seemed upbeat about his performance over the past week and on having reached the semifinals. The Austrian defeated the likes of Alex de Minaur and John Isner en route to the penultimate stage.

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“In general I’m super happy with the week. I would have never expected to be in the semifinals, to play in the semifinals a player like him. I cannot complain about anything,” remarked Thiem.

With less than a month left for the 2021 Roland Garros, Thiem will compete next at the upcoming Italian Open to improve his form before heading to Paris.

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Kshitij Tayal is a tennis author at EssentiallySports. Having played district-level tennis competitions, Kshitij is also a tenured journalist of the sport with over four years of experience. At EssentiallySports, he pens down some thought-provoking pieces on players and tournaments across the ATP and WTA.

“He Served 227, 228”: Dominic Thiem Applauds Alexander Zverev, Accepts Couldn’t Do Much in Madrid Semifinals

Dominic Thiem reflects on his performance

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