Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem are going to be the top 2 seeds in the upcoming US Open draw where they are widely considered to be among the top favorites, The Serbian sensation and Dominic had a huge fight in the recent final of the Australian Open when it seemed as the Austrian ace was close to winning his first major. However, Novak was amazing in finding his way back and win the encounter in the 5th set.
Riccardo Piatti on Djokovic and Thiem chances at the US Open
Renowned tennis coach Riccardo Piatti is considered as one of the most knowledgeable professionals in the business. During a recent interview, the Italian explained why Djokovic and Thiem are the favorites at the upcoming US Open.
“In my opinion, Djokovic and Thiem are the main candidates to win the US Open. Which are the same two players who made the final at the Australian Open this year. In my opinion they will use Cincinnati as a training tournament. Thiem has improved a lot during the period of the pandemic, he has trained a lot, he is in great shape and therefore I believe that the two most qualified to play for the final are the two of them.
In the absence of Nadal and Federer it will then be necessary to see all the others. The US Open is a very long and tiring tournament. The climatic conditions, the length and the toughness of the matches can have a great impact but Djokovic and Thiem both have enough experience to know how to manage many different situations that can arise.
And I’m not just talking about the matches but also about everything that can happen off the pitch. It can happen that you win a 7-5 match in the fifth set on a very hot day and have to recover while maybe your next opponent has won by giving up and is very fresh. People like Nole or Dominic are way ahead of the others in dealing with these issues.”
Riccardo is currently coaching one of the most interesting prospects in tennis: Jannik Sinner. The young Italian will start his US Open swing playing the qualifications of the Western & Southern Open that will also be played in New York.
Novak Djokovic in 2020
Ranked world no.1, Djokovic played his last match on the 29th of February when he overcame Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 6-4 in the final in Dubai to win his 79th career title.
Currently, this year Djokovic has a 18-0 win-loss record. Djokovic clinched 2 titles in 2020 at the Australian Open and in Dubai.
Dominic Thiem in 2020
Currently the world no.3 (career-high), Dominic played his last match on the 22nd of February when he lost to Gianluca Mager 7-64 7-5 in the quarter in Rio De Janeiro.
Dominic Thiem’s most significant performance of this year was getting to the final at the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem played each other 11 times. The head to head is 7-4 for Djokovic. The last time that they fought against each other, Novak Djokovic won 6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3 6-4 in the final in Melbourne (Australian Open) on the 2nd of February 2020.
