Finally, a new men’s Slam winner

Dominic Thiem

A few days ago, Alexander Zverev was on court at the semis against Pablo Carreno Busta, and the German was flailing in the first two sets. Zverev was spaced out, and he could not play patient.

In the third set, he was ticked off. To have any chance, he had to target it. Pretty quickly, his first serve was massive, his forehand was towering and his backhand was monstrous. The hefty hitter was confidence, and Zverev won it 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.

In the semis, he knew that he had to trust himself. He did, but now he has to face Dominic Thiem. He is in his first Slam final in the US Open on Sunday.

Austrian Thiem has reached the Roland Garros final twice and, while he does love clay, he couldn’t figure out how to attack Rafa Nadal. The Spaniard has won a millionth times at RG (actually 12), while Thiem was stymied again.
 
The Austrian decided not to grind it for hours on clay and began practicing more on hardcourts. And he was faster now In January, Thiem reached the final at the Australian Open, and he has ready to stun Novak Djokovic. Once again, Thiem had a chance to win his first Grand Slam trophy, but he couldn’t dismantle the Serb. Djokovic is a backboard, who has now 17 Grand Slams.

Thiem has a one-handed backhand. Against Daniil Medvedev in the semis, he just mixed it up all the time. He was sharp, and he never gave up when he he needed to dig down deep. He pulled it out, 6-2, 7-6(7), 7-6(5). It is time, for show time.

Thiem is 27 yearsold, while Zverev is 23. At the start of the year, the semi veteran Thiem beaten the German 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(4) in the semis at the Australian Open.

Thiem is the favorite, because he is a little bit more mature, and he knows very well. As long as he can push back the 6’6” German, he will rule. Zverev has a chance, too, if he can keep calm and focused. It could be a harsh contest, for both of them, because there will be some long, solid rallies.

Thiem will win it in four, lively sets. That will be a new Grand Slam winner in 2020. Finally.