He beat Rafael Nadal on clay
This year, the Spaniard has been on a pathway to resurgence – he reached the final of the Australian Open and has been on a ‘La Decima mission’ since the clay season began. He won the Monte Carlo Masters before beating Thiem in the finals of the Barcelona Open and the Madrid Open.
He steamrolled through a patchy Djokovic when he beat him in straights in the semi-final of the Madrid Open, and let’s not forget that the Serb was on a seven-match winning streak against the 30-year-old.
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It looked like Nadal would go unbeaten through the clay season.
Enter – an inspired Thiem! He not only beat Nadal but did so in straight sets. If Nadal does go on to win the coveted 10th title at Paris this year, Thiem will be the only player to beat him in the 2017 clay season. If that doesn’t say that he is a future Roland Garros champion, what does?
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
