“I Was Concerned After Australia”: Dominic Thiem Opens up on Losing Consecutive Grand Slam Finals

World No.3 Dominic Thiem comes into French Open 2020 as a Grand Slam champion after he defeated Alexander Zverev in the finals of the US Open 2020. However, before this career-defining victory, Thiem had lost three Grand Slam finals.

Right now, Thiem is on a hot streak as he has reached two consecutive Grand Slam finals. The first one was at Australian Open 2020 where he narrowly lost to Novak Djokovic and the second at US Open where he was victorious. In his recent press conference, Thiem revealed what was going through his mind after losing his 3rd Grand Slam final at Australian Open 2020.

Theim frankly said that he was dejected after the Australian Open final and it wasn’t easy for him to bounce back. However, the Austrian is relieved that he has finally crossed the hurdle and is a Grand Slam champion.

“Yeah, it is a huge difference because being so close in front of the finish line and then finally taking the one step to cross it is a huge difference. It is amazing to reach the finals but it is also not easy on the other hand especially after Australia this year. I heard so many people saying, ‘Yeah anyway you’re going to win a Grand Slam soon. You will win slams in your career.'”

Dominic Thiem on coming close to winning Australian Open 2020

“But at the end, I didn’t make it yet. So that was not easy. And I mean me and also the other players know how tough it is to get to deep stages of a slam, to give yourself chances to win one. So at the end, I was concerned after Australia and I am very happy that this is finally out of my mind. “

Thiem has had to scratch and claw his way to tennis glory. Having lost his first three Grand Slam finals, he might have had doubts about whether he will be able to win slams.

Sometimes, Grand Slam final losses can make a player question his/her abilities. However, if a player remains mentally strong, he/she will eventually win the topmost prize in tennis. That’s exactly what Thiem accomplished at US Open 2020, attaining a sense of peace in his mind.

Coming to the present, Thiem reached the 4th round of French Open 2020 after a straight-set victory against Casper Ruud. He can potentially face Stan Wawrinka next. If they do meet, it will be their first Grand Slam match against each other with Wawrinka leading the overall head-to-head 3-1.

Read More: “Don’t Do Any Stupidity”: Dominic Thiem Takes Inspiration From Novak Djokovic to Win Tiebreakers