Dominic Thiem reveals how he beat Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

Kevin Palmer
Dominic Thiem and Roger Federer
Dominic Thiem had a goo drecord against the 'Big 3'

Dominic Thiem is bringing down the curtain on his career at the age of 31 and he has been reflecting on how he had such an impressive record against the ‘Big 3’ of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Thiem has been handed an emotional send-off by his adoring Austrian fans at this week’s ATP 500 tournament in Vienna after the 2020 US Open champions gave up on his bid to beat injuries that have hampered his ambitions since his Grand Slam winning moment four years ago.

Winning the US Open at an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York during the Covi lockdowns ensured Thiem’s only major title was claimed in strange circumstances, but he was keen to reflect on his achievements rather than ponder what might have been in a compelling interview with broadcaster Simon Mundie in the latest A New Way of Being podcast.

Thiem opened up on a host of issues as he looked at his playing career in detail and also reflected on his emotional journey during his tennis career.

When the subject turned to his matches against Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, he offered some intriguing insights into how he compiled such an impressive record against the three players in the history of men’s tennis.

Thiem had a 5-2 winning record in matches against Federer, while he beat Nadal on six occasions and Djokovic five times.

In an era when the ‘Big 3’ dominated the sport, it is an impressive set of statistics and as Thiem looked back on how he challenged the three greats, he suggested his mental approach was crucial to his success.

“I had the belief, like throughout a period of two or three years that when I went on the court against them, I really have a true chance to win and that was really nice,” said Thiem.

“If you have a chance to beat the Big 3, then you have a chance to beat anybody anyway. So that was a great feeling.

“I had a lot of self-confidence that when I’m playing well, when I play my really my best level, then I can play for all the big titles because I can beat pretty much everyone there. So this feeling was really nice.

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“Obviously it was also really, really tough to maintain because I have this feeling that I needed to go like really in the extra gear and o go in the last corner of my, of my body and of my head as well to be able to play on that level.

“I think that, like the basic level of the of those three players was just higher than me and higher than anybody else and I think still is on their peak. So it was really tough to maintain, but the two to three years were still very nice.”

Maintaining a positive mindset against Federer, Nadal and Djokovic was crucial to success against them and he suggested Djokovic’s comments on trying to live in the moment was crucial to that approach.

“We are human beings and I think to a certain point, we cannot control what thoughts are coming up, what feelings are coming up,” he added.

“When they are when they are negative, they are negative. Then even if we want them to be positive, they’re not gonna, they’re not gonna turn into into nice thoughts or into nice feelings. It’s the ability to live as well as possible through those moments

“I think the tennis court or the tennis match is a little bit of a mirror to life because in tennis, you have to get through those moments in almost every match, and the one who does it the best will be the best. Novak is probably the best in doing it.”

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