'He is the toughest opponent to play besides Federer, Nadal, Djokovic', says Top 5

After losing three consecutive Grand Slam finals from 2018 to 2020, Dominic Thiem managed to win his first major this year at the US Open. Also taking advantage of the absence of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal - coupled with the sensational disqualification of Novak Djokovic for a shot against a line judge, the Austrian made up two sets of disadvantage to Alexander Zverev by winning the decisive tiebreak. The World number 3 now leads 8-2 in the precedents against Sascha, considered by many to be the candidate successor of the Big 3 when they decide to hang up the racket. In a recent interview with Sky Germany, Thiem defined Zverev as his toughest opponent outside of the three sacred monsters. Alexander and Dominic will be two of the protagonists of the Nitto ATP Finals, which will kick off next Sunday at the O2 Arena in London for the last time.

Thiem picks his favorites for the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals

“That's a really good question,” Dominic Thiem said. “For me, personally, Sascha is the toughest opponent to play besides Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. I already said it after the US Open, both our games make things difficult for the other one. For me, it's tough to play against him because he serves and returns so well, because I always have trouble finding a good tactical plan against him,” Thiem continued. “That’s why he is the toughest opponent, even though the last matches have gone my way,” Thiem explained. “I’m already a bit scared thinking of our next matches, but I’m looking forward to it of course.” The Austrian expressed his admiration for the way Medvedev effortlessly closed out the final against Zverev. “In Paris, Medvedev has made his way up on the list of favorites for London,” Thiem remarked. “I watched the final, he played incredible in the end, made no mistakes." Needless to say, the names of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic came up as the ‘top favorites’. However, Dominic Thiem gave special emphasis to Andrey Rublev, noting his scintillating form all year - and especially following the resumption of the tour. “But I would say besides Nadal and Djokovic, who are always the top favorites, Rublev is an extremely good candidate,” Thiem said. “He’s been in top form all year round and since we’ve resumed the tour after the corona break, he’s been even better.” With the ATP World Tour Finals beginning next week, Djokovic has a chance to equal Federer’s record of winning six titles at the ATP Nitto Finals, if the Serbian lifts the season-ending championships.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3ppw5SU