Dominic Thiem has come a long way since losing to Rafael Nadal in the second round of the French Open in 2014. He has racked up nine titles on clay to date and is gearing up for the grandest of them all. Thiem had a great tournament last year, reaching the final, and will be eager to go one step further. Slated to be the fourth seed, it will be interesting to see which half of the draw he lands in. The Austrian is a highly regarded player on clay and will prove to be a huge challenge for whomever he faces. The question is, how far will he go this year?
What makes him so good on clay?
Firstly, his movement. While he possesses a great topspin forehand and an attacking one-handed backhand, his movement on clay is masterful. To be successful on clay you have to be able to move well and quickly. Thiem has that ability in him. Secondly, his serve. His wide serve from the ad side troubles everyone and opens up the court beautifully for him. The only minor weakness, if you want to call it that, is his net play, which can be more of an attacking option if improved upon.
French Open Record
Thiem’s best result was reaching the final in 2018, where he lost to Rafael Nadal. He has reached the semis twice, in 2016 and 2017–losing to Djokovic and Nadal, respectively. Overall he has an 18-5 win-loss record in the French capital.
Form
Thiem has compiled a 17-8 win-loss record in 2019 with two titles, in Indian Wells and Barcelona. Having failed to reach a final in any of the European clay court Masters 1000, he wouldn’t be feeling particularly good coming into this year’s tournament. Uncharacteristic losses to Dusan Lajovic in Monte Carlo and to Fernando Verdasco in Rome have hurt his preparation.
Major Challengers
Any Major tournament is identified by the matchups it entails, none more so than a matchup with Nadal. Thiem has had Nadal’s number in the clay court swing, having beaten the Spaniard on clay each year since 2016; but when it comes to the French Open, Nadal has prevailed both times in 2017 and 2018. The Austrian has weapons to counter Nadal’s heavy topspin game with his own loopy forehands and a one-handed backhand that is more than capable to hold its own. He will no doubt draw confidence from beating Nadal at Barcelona this year en route to his title.
Novak Djokovic presents a different case for Thiem altogether. Losing both sets in Madrid to Djokovic after being a break up will sting Thiem. This matchup is particularly tough to predict since both have beaten each other at Roland Garros. Djokovic holds a slight edge form wise but if Thiem prevails it won’t be an upset for many.
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