At 27, the third in the world, winner 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) in 4 hours and 1 minute of a grueling fight, finally manages to taste a major coronation, he who had fallen in the final at Roland Garros in 2018 and 2019, each time against Rafael Nadal, then at the last Australian Open in February, beaten by Novak Djokovic.
He’s the first new major winner since Marin Cilic at the US Open in 2014. And he’s the first non-Big 3 winner since Stan Wawrinka at Flushing Meadows too, in 2016. This year, Novak Djokovic has was disqualified for a moody gesture in the round of 16, while Roger Federer (operated on a knee) and Rafael Nadal had overlooked this tournament played in unprecedented conditions, dictated by the coronavirus, and in particular at huis closed.
Falling to the ground, his arms crossed after Zverev’s direct foul on his third match point, he struggled to his feet and it was his opponent, also his friend off the courts, who came to meet him for the embrace, favoring fair play over the distance imposed by protocol.
“We both deserved it”
“This is the first of your many Grand Slam titles, no doubt. It was a tough battle, I would have liked him to miss a few more shots to be able to lift the trophy, but here I am, I am making the speech of the finalist, ”commented then the seventh in the world, passed so close – several times two points from the game – to experience such a first joy.
Instead, the 23-year-old’s tears rose to the microphone. He had all the trouble to repress them by evoking how much he missed his parents, who usually follow him on the circuit.
“We’ve known each other since 2014, we became friends straight away and our rivalry started in 2016. It’s amazing where it all got us today. I really would have liked there to be two winners tonight, we both deserved it, ”Thiem paid tribute to him.
After his solid victory in the semi-finals at the expense of Daniil Medvedev, finalist last year, the Austrian slugger appeared as the legitimate favorite of this final. Not to mention that he led 7 wins to 2 and remained on three consecutive victories, the last of which was in the semi-finals in Melbourne (3-6, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6).
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