Australian Open 2020: Dominic Thiem defeats Alexander Zverev to book final clash with Novak Djokovic
Dominic Thiem will face Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final after coming from a set down to defeat Alexander Zverev in a match that produced some of the most insane tennis of the tournament.
Dominic Thiem, who has beaten Novak Djokovic in four of their last five encounters will face the Serb in Sunday’s Australian Open singles final after overcoming Alexander Zverev 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(3).
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"It is absolutely unreal and what a start to the season," a jubilant Thiem said.
"It was not easy after playing four hours 10 minutes against Rafa (Nadal). I was in bed about 5am two days ago."
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The fans who bought their tickets in the winter months understandably came expecting Roger or Rafa or Novak. Instead they got Dom and Alex, two men of the future but at times before nearly 15,000 people on Rod Laver Arena, two rabbits in the headlights also.
Should he have been remotely tired from his efforts this fortnight, the odds are that Novak Djokovic will have nodded off way before the third set had he tuned in to do his homework for the final.
The next gen are coming but on this evidence, not in February 2020.
Between two men who play from the back, it was frequently clay court tennis but without the clay.
Sets one and two were a lesson in how not to serve in a semi-final, Thiem losing serve four times, Zverev three, their second serves enough to torture any watching decent club player into thinking they too might have had a pro career. By contrast, the German’s first serve was impeccable nearly all night.
"It's not nice to play these return games when he gets all these first serves, " Thiem said.
Not that it helped him, neither man could hold a lead, games were won in ones and twos, nerves aplenty in a bitty yet often thrilling match. As entertainment it stood up well, the world number five (Thiem) and number seven equally matched yet incapable of exerting control.
The match was Thiem’s fifth major semi-final – all on Paris clay – but Zverev had not come this far in any major and that perhaps was the difference, Thiem clinching the pivotal third set tie-break 7-3 after a set lasting 82 minutes.
"It was an unreal match," Thiem said.
"Two tiebreaks, so tough and so close.
"It was almost impossible to break him."
Before they began, the on-court announcer reminded the crowd that Zverev would donate his entire winnings to bushfire recovery if he wins this tournament but surprisingly it failed to engage the fans. The gesture was genuine, Zverev is not money driven, but the apathy suggested the crowd mentally was already in Sunday as much as the present.
Thiem, older by four years at 26, could be mistaken for a young Federer, headband and long hair, similar physique, stylish single handed backhand (topspin, not slice) while further confusion arose when the players turned up in near identical shirts and headbands (do they never check pre-match?).
Yet Djokovic will not be fooled.
If Thiem can assert himself fully on Sunday, he has a small chance. He is one of the best players in the world Djokovic said this week.
Even so, he might be advised not to watch a repeat of last year’s men’s final where Djokovic demolished Nadal. Unless the newcomer sheds the nerves, a similar outcome is nailed on for 2020.