It was third time unlucky for Dominic Thiem at the Australian Open on Sunday, but the Austrian has drawn more motivation than ever following his latest loss.
The world No.4 was denied the Melbourne title by the formidable Novak Djokovic, who won the major for a record eighth time. It was a case of so near, but so far for Thiem who lead the match by two sets at one stage before losing in five. Making it the third time he has lost in the final of a grand slam after settling for runner-up twice at the French Open over the past two years.
Despite the heartbreak, Thiem is confident that he is heading in the right direction. Last season he was one of only two players to win five titles on the ATP Tour. Coincidentally the other was rival Djokovic.
“On the one hand it was Final defeat a disappointment, on the other hand a huge motivation for the next big tournaments.” Thiem told reporters about his Australian Open run.
“The first two lost (grand slam) finals were clear against Rafael Nadal in Paris (French Open). I was far away then.’
“This time it was close, it could have been different, I can blame myself. I’ve never been so close.”
The hope for Thiem is that he can follow in the footsteps of former world No.1 Andy Murray. The Brit clinched his first major title in his fifth appearance in a grand slam final at the 2012 US Open. However, he admits that it will be far from easy. Not only does he have to deal with the prestigious Big Three, those trying to succeed the trio are also gathering momentum in the sport.
“Andy Murray lost four Grand Slam finals before winning three and becoming number one in the world. I take him as a role model.” He said with a smile.
“But I may also lose the next two Grand Slam finals. (Rafael) Nadal has to be hit on the clay, Djokovic is the best on hard court, and (Roger) Federer can still Win Wimbledon.’
“Behind them, I will also have to consider Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev.”
Now ranked as fourth in the world, Thiem is on the verge of breaking into the world’s top three. Something that hasn’t been achieved by an Austrian player since Thomas Muster back in 1997. Muster and Thiem briefly joined forces with each other earlier this year before they went their own ways.
“Of course, the top 3 would be nice, but it’s not my main goal. Rather, I want to continue the level I played in Australia, then that should come about with the ranking by itself.”
Whilst remaining grounded about his ranking prospects, Thiem’s former mentor believes he has what it takes to rise to the top. Gunter Bresnik was an instrumental figure throughout the majority of his career until last April. When he was replaced by former Olympic champion Nicolas Massu, who has been Thiem’s principle coach ever since.
“In the short term he will be number 3, in the long term he will be number 1,” he told ServusTV.
“Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer would have seen Thiem as the future number one years ago.
“The top three [and] top five – because I don’t want to exclude [Andy] Murray and [Stan] Wawrinka – he has beaten everyone during their prime.
“Hats off to the boy. He has what it takes and he will confirm it.”
Currently just 85 points behind Roger Federer, Thiem will have a crack to trying to break into the top three in less than two weeks time. His next tournament is scheduled to be the Rio Open, which will get underway on February 17th. A week before Federer’s next tournament in Dubai.
