Dominic Thiem once commented on the challenge of winning a Grand Slam title in an era dominated by players like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. The Austrian’s remarks came during the 2017 French Open.
Thiem had an impressive run at Roland Garros that year, reaching the semifinals after defeating players like Bernard Tomic, Simone Bolelli, Steve Johnson, Horacio Zeballos, and the defending champion Djokovic. His opponent in the last four was the nine-time tournament winner, Nadal.
Ahead of his match against the Spaniard, Thiem spoke to the media, expressing that winning a Grand Slam at that point felt like a “joke” due to the formidable challenge of facing two tennis legends back-to-back.
“It’s a tough question. I mean, so far I have always played way worse match the following day if I beat a top guy. So I hope I can improve that,” the Austrian said.
“I mean, it’s a joke how tough it is to win a slam. Because obviously now I beat Novak. On Friday is Nadal. In the finals there is another top star. That’s why it’s a slam is because it’s such a tough achievement,” he added.
