wangs78
Legend
I think expectations for Thiem are higher than they were for Soderling. Soderling was a power player in every sense and while he was always a danger he was not ever expected to be a consistent contender for Slams (ie, no one thought he could win more than 1-2). Thiem on the other hand has the full complement of skills (speed, defense, power, consistency, movitation/maturity) that most of us (at least I am) expect him to break through at some point and have at least a 12 to 18 month run where he is the man to beat. But he hasn't yet, and with each passing year, the expectation declines a little bit, as they have with Dimitrov. We were all waiting, waiting, waiting until we gave up, which is what has happened at this point with Grigor. With Thiem he still seems to be making progress every year, so there is still hope he will break through. How he performs at this year's USO could be a defining moment.