Final chance for Thiem and Zverev
DOMINIC Thiem and Alexander Zverev will bid to grab their chance to step out of the shadows of their illustrious contemporaries when they clash in today’s US Open final.
For the first time since Andy Murray’s Wimbledon final win over Milos Raonic in 2016, a combination of health concerns and errant volleys has served up a grand slam final shorn of the sport’s big three.
For Thiem, who beat Daniil Medvedev in three tight sets in Friday’s semi-final, it represents a fourth opportunity to scale the final hurdle, having previously come up short against Rafael Nadal (twice) and Novak Djokovic.
And for the 23-year-old Zverev, the youngest men’s finalist in a grand slam for a decade, it is a chance to make good on overdue expectations and anoint himself the leader of his sport’s new age.
Austrian Thiem insisted he will not feel any additional pressure at starting as the heavy favourite, in stark contrast to his previous finals when, on two occasions, he started as a virtual no-hoper, only to push the bigname favourite to the brink.
Thiem said: “I won’t change my mindset at all – I know what Sascha is capable of. From the moment that Novak was out of the tournament, it was clear there is going to be a new grand slam champion. From that moment on, it was out of my mind.
“Now it’s just Sascha remaining – the last one. He is a hell of player, one of the greatest in the last few years, and has won all the titles besides a major. For me it doesn’t really matter whether it is him or one of the big three.”