Austria's Dominic Thiem won his first Grand Slam title at the 2020 US Open when he came back from two sets down to defeat Alexander Zverev in the final.
After the victory, Thiem said that winning the Grand Slam took a lot of pressure off him. The Austrian professional tennis player has the career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 3, which he first achieved in March 2020. He is the second-highest ranked Austrian player ever, only behind former world No. 1 Thomas Muster.
Thiem, who has won 17 ATP Tour singles titles, and finally won his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2020 US Open after beating Alexander Zverev in the final, said that there was joy after the title win, but it was overpowered by relief.
"Winning a Grand Slam took a lot of pressure off me. I lost three finals before that. It's been a very tough year for everybody but still great success for me. Now and today it is time to be thankful and grateful for today for everything they have done for us," Thiem said after landing in Australia for the first Grand Slam of 2021.
The Grand Slam win capped off the 2020 season for him, which Thiem would remember fondly despite it being a rough year not only in tennis but in almost all walks of life worldwide.
Thiem also spoke about his plans to beat Nadal at Roland Garros some day:
"Rafael Nadal is in the league of his own at Roland Garros; I have never managed to beat him there. I'm confident against him at other tournaments, but it becomes extra tough on Court Philippe-Chatrier - it's one of our sport's toughest challenges. He lost twice in 16 years in Paris which is insane. Rafa should be the favourite in Paris for another year or two, but I will try to beat him this season," Thiem concluded.
Thiem made it to the Final of the Australian Open in 2020 but was beaten by Novak Djokovic. In the finals of the French Open in 2018 and 2019, Thiem could not get past Nadal, who almost seems invincible at The Roland Garros.
Thiem has won 65.7% of his matches which include clashes on ATP Tour, Grand Slam main draw matches and in Davis Cup. He achieved his current and highest ATP singles ranking of No. 3 on 2 March 2020.
