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There have been a lot of strong opinions about the men's US Open final between Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev, which the Austrian won in a fifth set tie-breaker for his first Grand Slam singles title. And most of those opinions have been negative, criticizing how the players struggled with their nerves in the match.
Gunter Bresnik, a former coach of Dominic Thiem, had this to say about the match - "The level of the match was for me one of the worst finals I saw in my life". Meanwhile Marion Bartoli, a former Wimbledon champion, said: "You could tell how stressed both players were. I saw a lot of matches from both of them, I never saw Dominic Thiem being in that kind of stress, especially the first two sets."
But former WTA Top 10 player Andrea Petkovic had a very different take on the final, which she posted on her social media account.
Andrea Petkovic, who peaked at No. 9 in the world rankings in 2011, is a six-time WTA title winner. But she is not just another tennis player; she has made regular appearances on German television as a presenter over the past year, as she recovers from her knee injury.
During the lockdown, Petkovic started an online book club where she was seen reading String Theory by David Foster Wallace. She has even been writing her own book, "Between Glory and Honor", which is expected to come out soon.
'What a hot beautiful mess of a chaotic final' - Andrea Petkovic on Dominic Thiem's USO triumph
The German, who is now ranked No. 93 in the world and has not played since the end of last season, described the Dominic Thiem vs Alexander Zverev match as 'a hot beautiful mess of a chaotic final'. She conceded that the contest may have lacked the quality of a classic, but asserted that it wasn't devoid of drama.
"There were cramps, there were tears, there were serves and parents missed, backhand slices and forehands down the line. There were returning positions on Mars and courage and sensibility under pressure," the German said.
Petkovic even compared watching Dominic Thiem's triumph to one of her romantic relationships.
"I cried, I laughed, I couldn’t sleep - feels just like what men do to me I guess," she said.
Petkovic also had an interesting take on the women's final between Naomi Osaka and Victoria Azarenka.
The German was impressed by Osaka for showing a "caliber of mental fortitude I have rarely seen at such a young age." As for Azarenka, Petkovic said: "She’s an incredible, loving mother to her son but she is also one of the fiercest most intimidating competitors the sport has ever seen."
While her fans would be waiting for her to return on the tennis court, many in the tennis community are waiting for her hot takes on the Roland Garros finals.
