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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Dominic Thiem of Austria and Rafael Nadal of Spain embrace at the net following their Men’s Singles Quarterfinal match on day ten of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 29, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Dominic Thiem of Austria and Rafael Nadal of Spain embrace at the net following their Men’s Singles Quarterfinal match on day ten of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 29, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
The train of the Big Three is expected to derail from its track of dominance very soon. This is in part thanks to Austria’s Dominic Thiem, who showed tennis fans a glimpse of the future last year.
Winning his maiden Grand Slam at the 2020 US Open, the 27-year-old finally overcame the jinx of major tournament finals. Previously, Rafael Nadal (twice) and Novak Djokovic (once) denied Thiem three times in a major tournament final.
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Dominic Thiem of Austria celebrates with the championship trophy after winning in a tie-breaker during his Men’s Singles final match against Alexander Zverev of Germany on Day Fourteen of the 2020 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
However, many experts pointed out that the victory came in the absence of the Big Three. While the Spaniard did not participate due to health concerns, Djokovic got defaulted in the earlier stage of the tournament.
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The Swiss maestro Roger Federer quit the 2020 season immediately after the Australian Open. Following that, he underwent two knee surgeries.
Despite those facts, Thiem is the only player after Andy Murray to beat each Big Three player at least five times. Even then, he desires to beat one or two of them to win a title in the future.
Read More: Nicolas Massu Says Dominic Thiem Has the Skills to Outshine the Big 3
Dominic Thiem wants to win a title beating the Big Three players
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Rafael Nadal of Spain, and Roger Federer of Switzerland wait to go on stage during the ATP Heritage Celebration at The Waldorf=Astoria in New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
After his US Open win, Thiem faced the question that every tennis fan had on their minds. The New York Times asked him, “Would the title have meant more if he could have beaten one of the big three on the way?” To this, the Austrian had a well thought out answer and said, “A Grand Slam victory is a Grand Slam victory,” Dominic said. “Otherwise one would have to say that all titles before the Big Three are worthless.”
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However, Thiem still looks forward to emerging as a winner in front of them. “But of course I still want to win a title where I can beat one or maybe two of them,” the Austrian expressed.
As the 2021 season approaches, Thiem will get every chance to defeat the Big Three. Since Federer is out of the Australian Open, Thiem will have to manage with Nadal and Djokovic.
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The trio will come together at the beginning of the Australian Summer Events in Melbourne Park. They will represent their countries at the ATP Cup 2021. Who do you think will take the Cup back home this year?
WATCH: How Dominic Thiem Amplifies Training Ahead of the Grueling Tennis Season
