There is a debate going on between the two as to who is the best novak djokovic, rafael nadal And roger federer may never end – but dominic thiem There is no doubt who gave him the toughest challenge. Thiem, who Retiring in 2024, Captured her only Grand Slam title in 2020 us openBut had it not been for one recurring hurdle, Nadal, he might have added more trophies to his cabinet.
Austrian player lost to Nadal in two matches French Open finals, in 2018 and 2019, and he has described facing the ‘King of Clay’ on his favorite surface as one of the most grueling experiences of his career. “If you are Rafa’s opponent in the Paris final, they don’t make it easy for you,” Thiem said. business of sports podcasts Last month. “The presenter starts mentioning his titles: 2005, 2006, 2007… and the crowd goes crazy. You’re there listening, and you already feel like you’ve lost the match. It’s one of the worst experiences of my career.”
In the 2018 final – Thiem’s first appearance in a Grand Slam decider – Nadal dominated and claimed victory in straight sets. A year later, their rematch was much tighter, but Thiem still could not overcome Nadal’s relentless power and consistency and lost in four sets.
“In 2018, I knew I wasn’t 100 percent physically fit, and she already had 10 titles (at Roland Garros),” she said. “That day, I understood it was not my time. The next year, I saw it as a 50-50 match. I was sure I could win. I played very well, but he raised his level impressively. It was incredible. Congratulations to him.”
He finally won a Grand Slam, the US Open, in 2020, but he couldn’t celebrate properly covid-19 pandemic: “In a normal year, the day after winning, you are woken up at six in the morning to go to the biggest TV show. I did all this on Zoom, in an empty airport and while returning home during the lockdown,” Thiem recalled. “It was very different from what I expected. I couldn’t enjoy it like other champions.”
At his peak, Thiem reached No. 3 in the world rankings. He also had impressive records against the ‘Big Three’: winning six out of 16 matches against Nadal, five out of 12 matches against Djokovic, and notably five out of seven matches with Federer.
Immediately after winning her first Grand Slam title – defeat alexander zverev In five-set thriller At Flushing Meadows in 2020 – Injuries began to take their toll. After that, Thiem never again reached the final stage of a major and fitness struggles caused him to miss five of the next 15 Slams.
She ultimately decided to retire at the age of 31 after losing at the 2024 Vienna Open. At the time, he acknowledged that it was “painful” to step away from professional tennis, but felt it was “the right decision” due to a combination of physical and mental factors, particularly the long-lasting effects of a wrist injury.
“In the last few years, it was very difficult to cope with that (high) volume of injuries,” he said. “The wrists weren’t able to withstand that amount of practice, and other parts of the body got older and older, too.”
He further added, “I think the way we play the game is not healthy and at one point in time, a part or more of the body gets broken. You can see it with almost every player, there is no player who is injury free during his career. It’s just the way of the professional game. And in my case, it was the wrist.”
For most tennis fans, Djokovic, Nadal and Federer are considered the three greatest players of all time. Djokovic leads with 24 Grand Slam titles, Nadal is second with 22 and Federer has 20. The debate over who is the greatest will rage on for years, but Thiem’s view is equally valid: Nadal was the toughest of them all.
