Dominic Thiem boasts of a commanding 8-2 head-to-head lead over Alexander āSaschaā Zverev. However, that didnāt stop him from picking the German as his toughest opponent outside of the āBig 3ā of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
In a recent interview with Sky Germany, Thiem explained his rationale behind picking Zverev, while also giving his opinion on the favorites for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.
Viewers of Thiem's video interview were permitted to ask one question to the Austrian. And the one that was picked asked Dominic Thiem to name his toughest opponent outside Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.
The newly-crowned āAustrian Sportsman of the Yearā praised the question before picking Sascha Zverev as his choice. Thiem recalled that he had given a similar answer after the US Open final because their specific playing styles made it difficult to find a way against each other.
āThat's a really good question,ā Thiem said. āFor me, personally, Sascha is the toughest opponent to play besides the Big 3. I already said it after the US Open, both our games make things difficult for the other one.ā

Dominic Thiem gave special emphasis to Zverevās serve and return - two shots that can cause problems for anyone on tour even on a bad day. The World No. 3 asserted that it is never easy to strategize against Alexander Zverev.
āFor me, it's tough to play against him because he serves and returns so well, because I always have trouble finding a good tactical plan against him,ā Thiem continued.
That said, Dominic Thiem has managed to beat the German with almost unfailing regularity in recent times. The 27-year-old is on a four-match winning streak against Alexander Zverev, which includes his famous comeback in the 2020 US Open final.
Thiem also won their matches at the 2020 Australian Open, the 2019 ATP Finals and the 2018 French Open.
You'd be forgiven for assuming that Thiemās fear of playing Zverev has been alleviated to some extent. But that is not the case for the Austrian, who admitted to being āscaredā of their future fixtures.
āThatās why he is the toughest opponent, even though the last matches have gone my way,ā Thiem explained. āIām already a bit scared thinking of our next matches, but Iām looking forward to it of course.ā
Dominic Thiem picks his favorites for the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals

With the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals just days away, Dominic Thiem assessed the chances of some of his competitors. Thiem believes that Daniil Medvedev stands a good chance in London given the Russianās recent resurgence, which saw him win the Paris Masters.
The Austrian expressed his admiration for the way Medvedev effortlessly closed out the final against Zverev.
āIn Paris, Medvedev has made his way up on the list of favorites for London,ā Thiem remarked. āI watched the final, he played incredible in the end, made no mistakes."

Needless to say, the names of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic came up as the ātop favoritesā. However, Dominic Thiem gave special emphasis to Andrey Rublev, noting his scintillating form all year - and especially following the resumption of the tour.
āBut I would say besides Nadal and Djokovic, who are always the top favorites, Rublev is an extremely good candidate,ā Thiem said. āHeās been in top form all year round and since weāve resumed the tour after the corona break, heās been even better.ā