Dominic Thiem claims ‘situation didn’t change’ in Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz dominance verdict

Oli Dickson Jefford 22 Oct 2024 11:59 AM

Pictured: Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Dominic Thiem

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the Six Kings Slam.

Dominic Thiem has claimed that the “situation didn’t change” for players looking to win a first major title – with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz proving just as tough to beat as the ‘Big Three’.

Former world No 3 Thiem will call time on his career at the Vienna Open this week, with the Austrian never fully recovering from a wrist injury sustained in 2021.

The highlight of his career came in 2020 when he lifted the US Open title, after defeats in the 2018 French Open, 2019 French Open, and 2020 Australian Open finals.

Thiem lost both his French Open finals to Rafael Nadal and his Australian Open final to Djokovic and is considered by some to be unlucky in terms of the era he was competing in.

Many have claimed that, with the ‘Big Three’ era slowly closing, there will be more opportunities for players such as Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas to lift their first major.

However, speaking to Tennis Majors, Thiem offered a different verdict.

Asked if he felt unlucky to be up against Djokovic, Nadal, and Roger Federer, the 31-year-old claimed he was “lucky” to face them – and that it will be no easy for anyone to beat Sinner or Alcaraz to win a Slam.

He said: “Yes, I understand people who are thinking that way, but, to me, the situation is quite easy.

“I feel really lucky and privileged to have played against them because they are three of the greatest athletes of all time. This is one part.

ATP Tour News

5 men whose last tour title was a Grand Slam: Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem match Pete Sampras

Rafael Nadal picks his biggest rival between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic

“And the second part is that I think it was not easier before, and it didn’t get easier after that. A lot of people said: ‘once they are gone, it’s going to be way easier for everybody in my generation, Daniil [Medvedev] and Sasha and Stefanos and all those players.

“Then what happens? Carlos came up and Jannik came up. And now you have basically a similar situation if you want to win a big title. You have to beat both of them. They won all four slams in 2024.

“So, the situation didn’t really change. I think it’s going to be the same in, I don’t know, 15 years or something. People will say: ‘OK, now, if Carlos, if Jannik, maybe the new guys coming up, if they retire, it’s going to be way easier’.

“But again, new guys are going to come. It has been always like that in tennis history. I think it will always be.”

Sinner and Alcaraz swept all four Grand Slam titles in 2024, with the Italian winning the hard court majors and the Spaniard sweeping the Slams on natural surfaces.

Victories in Melbourne and New York were the first Grand Slam titles of Sinner’s career, while Alcaraz is now a four-time major champion.