Novak Djokovic handed emerging talent Dominic Thiem a valuable lesson in tennis as he crushed the Austrian 6-2, 6-1, 6-4, in the semifinals of the French Open.
Participating in a record-breaking sixth consecutive French Open semifinal, Djokovic was at the top of his game against one of the most promising young talents in the sport. Djokovic hasn’t lost in a grand slam to a seed as low as Thiem (15) since Jurgen Melzer at the 2010 French Open and his three-sets performance on Court Suzanne Lenglen was evident as to why.
The disparity of experience between the two men was evident during the first set. 29-year-old Djokovic currently has 64 titles to his name compared the six held by 22-year-old Thiem.A total of 20 unforced errors from the young talent enabled Djokovic to take the opening set with ease. Breaking twice and winning 77% of his service points, the world No.1 strolled to a 6-2 lead.
The one-sided performance continued into the second set. Thiem did at times produced the impressive shot selection that has awarded him a trio of ATP titles this year, however, they were limited against a solid Djokovic. Another costly backhand error from the Austrian extended Djokovic’s lead to 3-1. Dictating almost every point, another lengthy exchange resulted in a Thiem error to seal the double break for the top seed. The outstanding 28-minute second set performance was sealed with a backhand cross court winner, Djokovic’s 12th of the match.
After a flawless two sets, the first blip for the Djokovic camp occurred when Thiem broke for a 2-0 lead following a forehand shot which landed just inside the court. The Austrian was finally able to remind the crowd why he is rated so highly in the men’s game. Firing six winners, the 22-year-old rapidly opened up a 3-0 lead in the third set. The resurgence by Thiem was short-lived after back-to-back forced errors allowed Djokovic to retrieve the break. The Djokovic comeback continued when a deep lob by Theim was returned by a sublime forehand winner from Djokovic, rewarding him another break. The double break was secured after another mishit from his opponent.
Djokovic domination, summed up with this spectacular forehand winner on Thiem. pic.twitter.com/wDiMgfIrSD
— #FreeSluggahJells (@SluggahJells2) 3 June 2016
Djokovic’s five-game winning streak came to end after after Thiem respectfully held his service game. The hold only delayed the inevitable as Djokovic reached his first match point. The victory was sealed after a backhand from Thiem went wide.
“It was my best performance of the tournament.I was hoping after the long fourth round that I’m was going to start playing better as the tournament progresses, and that’s what’s happening now.” Djokovic said of his semifinal performance.
“It was an amazing atmosphere on the Suzanne Lenglen (court). It was the first time I have played the semifinals of Roland Garros on that court, and I’m obviously very glad to win in three sets and against a player that was in-form and has played many tournaments, many matches this year.” He later added.
The straight sets victory has moved Djokovic to his fourth French Open final as he bids to win his maiden title at Roland Garros. Despite producing 12 fewer winners than Thiem (15-27), it was the error count, which separated the two. Djokovic produced 15 compared to the Austrian’s 34.
Reaching his 20th grand slam final, Djokovic has risen to No.2 on the all-time major finalist list (levelling with Rafael Nadal). The list is headed by Roger Federer, who has made 28 finals.
