The 2020 tennis season began with a prediction of the advent of a new Grand Slam champion. Austrian ace Dominic Thiem was on the brink of breaking the major-winning rhythm of the ‘Big Three’.  However, it was once the undefeated man in the Melbourne finals Novak Djokovic securing his 17th Slam.

That day, most of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal‘s fanbase were rooting for Thiem to make his Grand Slam breakthrough, in order to prevent Djokovic from inching close to their major record. And also, the German tennis professional Alexander Zverev wanted Dominic to lift the Aussie major.

“With Thiem, I get along very well. I have wished extremely for him to win the Australian Open after he beat me. But he told me, he got a bit tired because he played four and a half hours with Rafa, four hours 45 minutes with me and then five sets with Novak,” Sascha told on Instagram LIVE.

Before the finals, World Number three Thiem played marathon matches against Nadal and Zverev in the quarters and semis of the Australian Open.

“We’re good friends” – Dominic Thiem

Sascha lost a close semi-final match against Dominic and both of them were playing high-quality tennis.

“For me, it’s funny because it’s the first time in a Grand Slam semi-final that I face a younger guy,” Thiem said, as previously he faced Marco Cecchinato and Novak Djokovic in the French Open semis.

“We’re good friends. I’m happy for him, as well, that he’s playing so good here. He made his breakthrough at a Grand Slam. We have no secrets from each other. We played so many times, also on very special occasions.”

The men’s game of tennis has been waiting for a new Grand Slam champion for six years now. Also, since French Open 2005, only US Open 2014 and Wimbledon 2016 finals, are the two only major championship matches which did not feature a ‘Big Three’ contestant.