'Rafael Nadal's in a class of his own', says Grand Slam champion

A few days ago all the tennis players who will participate in the Australian Open have arrived in the oceanic continent to begin the two-week quarantine in view of the first Grand Slam of the year which will begin on February 8th. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem on the one hand, Simona Halep, Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams, however, will face quarantine not in Melbourne like everyone else but in Adelaide where they will have a different and more 'star treatment' than their colleagues . This situation has generated various criticisms and many have not appreciated what happened. These tennis players will have a greater availability of equipment and various other tools that their colleagues in Melbourne will not have, some tennis players have even accused the organizers of the Australian Open of a sort of 'favoritism' towards the Bigs of the circuit. During an interview with ORF TV, Austrian tennis player number 3 in the world Dominic Thiem responded to these accusations by defending the organizers of the Australian Open. It should also be remembered that these tennis players will participate in a performance in Adelaide on January 29th and 30th. Prior to claiming his first Grand Slam title at the US Open 2020, Dominic Thiem experienced playing at a Major final thrice in his career. Each time, the Austrian wizard was halted by the liege lords of the sport – Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – on the elite stages of tennis.

Thiem on beating Rafael Nadal

“Rafael Nadal's in a class of his own, and I don’t know if I trust myself to do it. I’ve never managed to beat him there. At other tournaments, I’m confident, because I’ve already done it, but beating him on this center court is probably one of the hardest challenges in sport,” Dominic Thiem said. “Only two players have managed to defeat him in 16 years. Which is an insane statistic. I think that he’ll still be the undisputed favorite and the strongest player in Paris for another year or two. But still, it’s my big goal and I’ll try again in 2021.” French Open’s clay court and conditions have always favored the Austrian, and since his junior days on the tour, Dominic has made deep runs into the tournament. “My biggest goal is the French Open. It’s always been the case these past few years. Because it remains the tournament I like the most, where the conditions suit me best. I played the final in 2011 as a junior. From that moment, it became the tournament I always wanted to win,” Thiem said.

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