Dominic Thiem has been impressive so far in the Australian Open. The Austrian is expected to play Novak Djokovic in the final after beating Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. A win for the 26-year-old means there will be a totally new Grand Slam title winner putting a pause to the old regime made up of Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal. Besides, Thiem will also rise to number three in the ATP rankings. However, it won’t be easy playing against the current world number 2, who is not only focused on winning the Grand slam but also reclaiming the number one rank. He slipped to position to second in the records after being toppled by Rafael Nadal.
Novak Djokovic heads into the final while in fine form. The Serbian has only lost one set since the beginning of the Australian Open. He fully understands what awaits him after winning this tournament. The 32-year-old will be hoping to win his 8th Australian Open to make it 17 majors won. Furthermore, the victory will guarantee him the top spot in the ATP rankings. Nevertheless, getting past Dominic Thiem, who has been phenomenal despite firing his now-former coach, Thomas Muster halfway through the Australian Open. He is now under the guidance of Nicolas Massu.
Who is Nicolas Massu?
Nicolas Massu’s impact in Dominic’s career seems to have been pretty instant. The world No. 4 is on the brink of winning his first grand slam title. His dad believes that Thiem Jr now has a coach that understands what he wants. Besides, he now receives the freedom to develop and enjoy playing tennis. These are essential needs that Wolfgang Thiem insists his son is receiving under the guidance of Nicolas Massu. The retired Chilean player is a one-time world number 9 and has two Olympic gold medals to his name.
Nicolas Massu positive about Dominic Thiem
Both Dominic’s dad and his regular coach, Nicolas Massu, will be looking forward to a satisfying performance from him. They believe he has the right mental capacity to handle Novak Djokovic. He already showed that by maintaining his calm and concentrating on playing tennis despite splitting with Thomas Muster. Though, the Serbian is tipped to win this upcoming encounter. He enjoys an excellent win rate record against the Austrian tennis player. The two have met ten times with Djokovic winning six times. In their previous encounters, the 16 times Grand Slam winner had won thrice.
Thiem at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2020
Currently the world no.5, the Austrian has a 7-2 win-loss record in 2020. The Austrian is now competing at the Australian Open where he beat Adrian Mannarino 6-3 7-5 6-2, Alex Bolt 6-2 5-7 6-75 6-1 6-2, Taylor Harry Fritz 6-2 6-4 6-75 6-4, Gael Monfils 6-2 6-4 6-4, Rafael Nadal 7-63 7-64 4-6 7-66 and Alexander Zverev 3-6 6-4 7-63 7-64.
Dominic Thiem will fight against Djokovic in the final. The head to head is 6-4 for Djokovic.
Thiem won 16 titles in his career: 3 on hard courts, 10 on clay courts, 2 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
