Dominic Thiem defeated close friend Alexander Zverev to win his first Grand Slam at the 2020 US Open
The 2020 US Open threw up another classic men’s final as best friends Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev battled.
Both of them had never won a Grand Slam and with Novak Djokovic defaulting in the earlier rounds, the draw was left wide open.
Djokovic defaulted after hitting a lines-woman with a ball while returning, and he accepted his punishment, despite it being a mistake.
There was no Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal either in this year’s competition either, so history was to be made.
Thiem became the first men’s player born after 1990 to win a Grand Slam. The Slams had been dominated by the big three and this was the start of a new era.
However, there was a ton of respect between Thiem and Zverev. They are great friends and shared some brilliant words after the match for each other.
Djokovic was watching closely and shared his thoughts after the final. The Serbian might have missed out on the title, but he knew this was a special moment for the friends and congratulated the pair:
“This is what sport is all about. Respect, appreciation and friendship. Thank you.
“Domi and Sasha for standing strong for your character values and seeing always what matters the most – love & respect for each other. Congratulations to both of you.”
This is what sport is all about. Respect, appreciation and friendship. Thank you 🙏🏼 Domi and Sasha for standing strong for your character values and seeing always what matters the most – love & respect for each other. Congratulations to both of you. @ThiemDomi @AlexZverev #USOpen pic.twitter.com/BrqUr06CS5
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) September 14, 2020
A battle for the ages
It seemed that Zverev was going to get his hands on the US Open after the first two sets. He was leading 2-0 and looked good to win his first Grand Slam in his debut finals appearance.
However, Thiem used his experience and mounted a comeback. The Austrian rallied hard to win the next three sets and the final one in a tie-breaker.
Thiem celebrated winning his first Grand Slam and it will be interesting to see how he does next. Zverev would have been a worthy winner too, but his time will come. Right now it is Thiem’s time to shine and the next-gen of men’s tennis is finally here.
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