Reigning US Open champion Dominic Thiem now holds the mantle of Austria’s Sportsman of the Year. This is the first time in his career that the Austrian has won this top honor in his homeland.

With 17 ATP titles and a maiden Grand Slam trophy at the Flushing Meadows under his belt already, Thiem is a rising star in men’s tennis.

Dominic Thiem holds the distinction of winning titles on all three surfaces

Thiem also holds the rare distinction of winning at least one ATP title on each of the three surfaces: grass, clay and concrete (hard court).

The mantle of the best sportsman back home could serve as a timely boost for Thiem ahead of the all-important ATP Tour Finals at London’s O2 Arena.

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A boost for Thiem ahead of ATP Tour Finals

On receiving the top sports honor in his homeland, Thiem said, “I am very happy. I want to congratulate all other nominees – they would have deserved it as well. I am very proud to be in the list of Austria’s sportsmen of the year.” 

Storming back from two sets down, the Austrian scripted a fairytale comeback against German Alexander Zverev to clinch his maiden Grand Slam trophy. His title win at the US Open was also the first by an Austrian.

How Dominic Thiem broke his Grand Slam jinx

Zverev, who dropped down to 7th in the ATP rankings after his defeat to Daniil Medvedev at the Rolex Paris Masters, threatened to run away with the US Open title after breezing through the first two sets 6-2, 6-4. However, not one to go down tamely, the Austrian turned things around quite spectacularly to win the next two sets 6-4, 6-3.

Read More: “Few points that decided heaven or hell”: Dominic Thiem reflects on stellar ATP Finals 2019 performance

The deciding set went into a tie-break that Thiem won to take home his first Major title. His current ATP ranking of 3 is also the highest he has achieved so far in his career. It also affirms his status as one of the best going around and justifies his rising stocks in men’s tennis.

Thiem’s maiden Major title also, in a way, broke his Grand Slam jinx. He made three Grand Finals – 2018 French Open, 2019 French Open, and the Australian Open this year – but fell at the final hurdle. Twenty-time Slam winner Rafael Nadal beat him to the title at Roland-Garros on both occasions. 17-time Slam champion Novak Djokovic shattered his hopes of a title run at the Rod Laver Arena.