Dominic Thiem says there are few things he would have changed about his performance in the title match of the ATP Finals after narrowly missing out on the trophy.
The US Open champion led by a set before being edged out by the giant killing Daniil Medvedev, who has now defeated seven top 10 players this month. It is the second year in a row where the Austrian has missed out on the title after losing a decisive tiebreaker against Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2019. Although Thiem is refusing to be too critical of his latest performance.
“There is actually only one shot which I really regret is at 2-1 in the tiebreak where I hit a great return and then played a stupid forehand. But beside that, I cannot really regret anything,” he reflected during his press conference.
“It’s a good tactic, the slice, especially against Daniil in the past, so I wanted to use it. I would do the same again actually.’
“I can only say well done to him, and that’s everything.”
Only once did the 27-year-old get broken during the 164-minute roller coaster in London. He can also seek comfort in what was a mainly positive tournament where he scored wins over both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Making it the first time he has ever done so at the same event in his career.
Winning his maiden Grand Slam earlier in the season, Thiem has positioned himself to challenge for a spot in the world’s top two in 2021. If he had defeated Medvedev, he would have only been 225 points behind second place Nadal. The projection is by no means a guarantee and no player outside of the Big Four have occupied either of the top two spots since Lleyton Hewitt in July 2005.
“I haven’t set myself any goals yet for next year but of course I want to climb up the rankings. This year has been amazing. I was playing great and had deep runs in many big tournaments,” he reflected.
“That’s what I want to do as well next year, and if I’m able to do that, I think I will also get chances to climb the rankings.”
Thiem has long been placed in the group of players expected to take over the reign of the Big Three when their record-breaking dominance comes to an end. The ATP Finals is a unique event for the reason that no member of the trio has won the title since Novak Djokovic in 2015. Nevertheless, they remain formidable for on the Tour but Thiem is well aware of the responsibility he and his peers face when they are no longer playing.
“There is going to be a time when they are not around anymore, and then it’s going to be so important to keep all the tennis fans, to keep them with this great sport,” he said.
“I think that’s our challenge, that we perform well, that we play great in big tournaments, that we become huge stars ourselves. It’s super important for tennis in general because they gave so much to the sport. Our challenge is to keep all those people with tennis and to maybe continue their story.”
Thiem ends his season with 25 wins against nine losses.
