The tennis world has been crying out for a rising young star to deliver on their promise for some time now, but it looks like Dominic Thiem is on the cusp of becoming a competitor for some of the top names .
For the past number of years, the regular faces have dominated the big tournaments, especially the Grand Slams, so it would be great to see a next generation player come good on their potential by pushing hard in one of the four majors.
Trending
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind for 22-year-old Thiem and he’s taken two titles since the start of the year – the Argentina Open and the Mexican Open – so he’s already been rewarded for his top notch performances.
The only question now is: Can the Austrian sensation make a splash and cause havoc in one of the three remaining Slams?
He has already mixed with the best
Thiem has cut down a few of the players inside the top 10 and already looks capable of rubbing shoulders with many of the big guys ahead of him in the pecking order.
His duel against Novak Djokovic in the fourth round of the Miami Open really underlined how much of a nuisance he can be for even the very best of professionals. In fact, it's safe to say that he could have come out the other side of it with a lot more to show than simply a straight sets defeat. He produced some jaw-dropping tennis, not least this phenomenal hot shot that had the world no.1 applauding the audacity and precision with which it was carried out:
He will have learned a lot from that match, not least that he needs to remember to stay cool when the big moments come. He had 15 break points against Nole, but only managed to take a single one.
That said, for the most part his inclination to play without fear has blended perfectly with his natural ability, and when one adds that to his industrious work ethic the combination of traits stack up to form one pretty impressive player capable of continuing to mix with, and test, some of the best guys around. The next few months should be used to see how well his improvements and skills serve him in going further in a few of the Slams but it should also be used to see if he can finally smash through to that top 10, or even top five ranking.
After all, his confidence is sure to be sky-high right now.
Thiem has the right spirit to succeed
Having raw talent is one thing, but putting it to good effect is a totally different story.
As Pablo Picasso once put it ‘action is the foundational key to all success’ and it’s sort of difficult to argue against such a pragmatic and logical philosophy.
Undoubtedly, Thiem is putting in the hard work, as he has done for the past few years, and he’s been producing some eye-catching results so far. Unafraid to expose himself to the strains and rigorous pressures of unrelenting commitment, the talented starlet has learned how to push himself both physically and mentally with a series of rigorous training and practice regimes.
Having had Gunter Bresnik as his coach from an early age, the youngster has learned a lot as well as developing a strong bond and the pair have forged a formidable partnership that has certainly played an important role in seeing Thiem outgrow some of his promising peers.
Ahead of Nick Kyrgios, Bernard Tomic, Jack Sock and Borna Coric, it’s the Wiener Neustadt-born player who has shoe-horned his way into contention for a shot at breaking the top 10 for the first time in his career.
Already impressively poised at no.14 in the ATP rankings, he has made unbelievable progress in recent times and hasn’t shied away from the gruelling nature of what’s necessary to reach the top.
Alongside Bresnik, he has also grafted under his fitness coach Sepp Resnik, an instructor so uncompromising he claims to have avoided sleep “for decades” because he doesn’t need it to function. So, it’s safe to say he’s rather unconventional, but it’s that off-piste mentality which could give Thiem the extra edge.
These two figures have played an immense role in shaping the player we see playing fantastic tennis today, and it has been Thiem’s desire to take on board their requests and rather unorthodox theories and demands which has allowed him to get to where he is now.
In short, the spirit has been willing, but the flesh has also been formidable.
But what about his immediate Grand Slam prospects?
French Open could witness a deep surge
Despite having such a top-class support team and an obviously exceptional talent, it’s probably too early to entertain the possibility that the player nicknamed “Dominator” by his fans and admirers will get his hands on some silverware from any of the year’s three remaining Slams.
That said, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that he will go far. It’s an occupational hazard for many up-and-coming tennis prodigies that their potential can get dismissed out of hand but then again it’s nice when the hype is minimal because it creates a blinkered climate where the player can focus on the singularity of sharpening their craft.
Comfortable on a variety of different surfaces, he carries a threat no matter what he’s gliding across, but it has been his form on clay that has captured the attention of tennis fans the world over. This year already, he has racked up an 8-1 record and recently managed to overcome the challenge of the King of Clay Rafael Nadal.
Sure, the Spaniard's powers have waned considerably in recent years, but it remains a big name to take down andreminded us all to take Thiem's ability on the powdery shale as serious as possible.
With the clay court season upon us, we're all going to get a proper look at the contenders, but nobdy should be surprised to see the 22-year-old Austrian win a couple of these tournaments, or at least push the favourites hard. Go well over the next few weeks and he could be in a terrific position by the time Roland Garros rolls into focus to go deep and maybe even reach the quarter finals.
For sure, he’ll have his own objectives, but the quality is certainly there to accommodate a few headline-grabbing performances, especially if he continues to move about the court with fluidity and he’s confident enough to use his key skills such as his kick-serve and his much improved return game, something he already put to good use against “Djoker” in Miami, as outlined by tennis statistician Steph Strudel:
They say only fools rush in, but this could really be a huge year for Thiem if he stays focused and on course. It's a distinct possibility that 2016 might finally provide us all with the moment a young wonderkid stops teasing us with budding snippets and finally steps up to announce the arrival of the so-called next-gen stars, and Thiem has all the right tools to be that trail-blazer.
