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Dominic Thiem recently revealed that, if given a choice, he would like to partner with Serena Williams for mixed doubles events in 2022. According to Thiem, Williams is a "true superstar" of the game who is the women's equivalent to Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Dominic Thiem and Serena Williams are currently injured, which forced them to opt out of the ongoing US Open. But Thiem seems to have made good use of his free time, joining the panel of Tennis Channel guest experts for the tournament.
The Austrian has been giving his inputs and expertise on a wide range of topics over the last few days. Thiem also recently played the game 'Word Rally' for them, where he gave some interesting responses.
On this occasion, however, Dominic Thiem was asked to pick his preferred mixed doubles partner for next season. Thiem gave it a bit of thought and eventually went with Serena Williams, a two-time Slam champion in the discipline.
The 28-year-old then explained the rationale behind his decision too. Dominic Thiem believes Serena Williams has a status similar to that of the Big 3, and like them, is an icon of the sport.
"I would choose, I think Serena Williams," Dominic Thiem said. "Because what Novak, Roger and Rafa are in the men's game, she's in the women's game. (She is) still active and definitely one of the best players ever to play tennis. And also, she's a true superstar, no?"
Thiem added that Williams is "more than a tennis player", before opining that it would be a "great experience" to share the court with her.
"(She is) way more than a tennis player," Thiem added. "And that would be a great experience to share the court with her."
Dominic Thiem was then asked who would serve first between the two if they ever play together. The defending US Open champion said he "would let" the 23-time Major champion serve first.
It is pertinent to note here that Serena Williams usually doesn't serve first when playing doubles.
"I would let her serve first (smiles)," Thiem said.
Fans express outrage over Dominic Thiem picking Serena Williams due to the Roland Garros 2019 controversy between the 2 players
Quite a few Twitter users, most of whom are fans of Serena Williams, have expressed their displeasure with Dominic Thiem picked her as his preferred mixed doubles partner. That's because Thiem had lashed out at Serena after a press conference misunderstanding at the 2019 French Open.
Dominic Thiem had been speaking to the media after his win over Pablo Cuevas, when he was told to vacate the room in order to accommodate Serena Williams - who had just lost to Sofia Kenin.
Thiem was then shifted to a smaller room, a move that he called a "joke". The Austrian was understandably upset about the episode and he made that clear with his comments. He then abruptly left the smaller room without finishing his press conference, implying that he could, like Serena Williams, do "whatever he wanted".
"It's a joke," Thiem said after being evicted. "I have to leave the room because she’s coming. What the hell, I don’t care. I can also do whatever I want."
However, it later emerged that Serena Williams was not the one who had asked for Dominic Thiem to be shifted. The American had only wanted to be done with her media obligations as early as possible, and she claimed in a subsequent interview that she had, in fact, asked to be accommodated in a different room than Thiem's.
"Put me in another room, a smaller one, but now," Williams was reported to have said.
Before that news could reach Dominic Thiem's ears, however, he went on to claim Serena Williams had shown a "bad personality". He also suggested that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal would never do such a thing.
"It is a matter of course," Dominic Thiem said. "It also shows a bad personality in my opinion. I am 100 percent sure Federer or Nadal would never do something like that."
It is this statement of Thiem's that has long earned the ire of Serena's fans, and they let their feelings known once again after the Austrian's mixed doubles partner choice came to light. However, it is pertinent to note that Thiem apologized to the American back in 2019 itself, and the two have made their peace with each other since then.
Dominic Thiem and Serena Williams were even part of the same team at the 'Rally for Relief' event in the lead-up to the 2020 Australian Open. They were seen interacting with each other cordially throughout the match.
But none of that mattered to the fans on Twitter, who let out a stream of angry reactions against Thiem on Friday. Here are a few of them:
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