Thiem was a nightmare for Djokovic

[Bambooman]

How could he reach higher level despite getting old?

By becoming more skillful.

 

[Olli Jokinen]

The age differences make it not that astonishing a fact though. Roger also played Thiem on many slow surfaces but Thiem did beat him indoors once.

Beat him on grass too. Guy was good back then.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Beat him on grass too. Guy was good back then.

Must have been in 2016 after Fed's knee surgery.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Must have been in 2016 after Fed's knee surgery.

Yep, it was in 2016. Fed was really bad and somehow reached Wimbledon semis. What a joke of a field after big 3.

 

[NoleFam]

He was. In fact, he was a nightmare for everyone at his peak. He could hit over 100 mph on the forehand and backhand. He just had immense power and control with all that aggression. Too bad his peak was so short lived. Definitely one of my favorite players ever to watch.

 

[DSH]

How could he reach higher level despite getting old?

It's not for nothing that he is the "Benjamín Button" of tennis.

 

[Cortana]

I fully expected Djokovic to never win another RG again in his life because of Thiem.

 

[Nadal_King]

The age differences make it not that astonishing a fact though. Roger also played Thiem on many slow surfaces but Thiem did beat him indoors once.

Well age difference between Alcaraz and Djokovic is more but let’s see it goes Alcaraz way 5-2 or not

 

[Olli Jokinen]

They never even played on grass to begin with! You are tripping!...

Thiem beat Federer in Halle. It was about Federer. Read what I was responding to. Djokovic fans are so aggressive. Christ.

 

[mike danny]

Ironically, his first ever slam match with Djokovic was the only competitive slam match between them, back when Medvedev's game was not fully developed.

Obviously that was a case of Djokovic not exactly taking him seriously.

 

[Djokodalerer31]

Thiem beat Federer in Halle. It was about Federer. Read what I was responding to. Djokovic fans are so aggressive. Christ.

That response wasn't meant for you! It was for another poster, who claimed Thiem played Djokovic on grass and beat him! All of his comments were deleted (And he got banned for spamming likely) and now the whole thing looks weird and awkward...

 

[ppma]

Thiem was a beast from 2017 to 2020. Not only for Djokovic, he was a true pain for anyone in his path. Can't think that he had really bad match ups by that time.

 

[tennis24x7]

How would GOAT race look if Thiem was fit? Rafa won 2 slams after Thiem declined, both in 2022.

Nole won 7 slams post 2022. Out of them 2 were at Roland Garros.

Thiem was fit in the final against Nadal in the RG final, just not mentally and that is the case of so many other players. Also reminds me of the 2 set lead Berdych/Isner had against Nadal in the RG. Once you waver game over against the big 3.

 

[President]

Thiem was never a nightmare. The guy was a terrible big match player.

You've always been a good poster man, but your standards are crazy high. Not just this post, but many many others. Thiem was a beast. To be able to take on these monsters, even in their older age (but not nearly as old as when Z, Philosopher, and Med got to play them), and score some wins is a huge feat. I just hope you are really REALLY successful in your chosen field.

 

[mike danny]

You've always been a good poster man, but your standards are crazy high. Not just this post, but many many others. Thiem was a beast. To be able to take on these monsters, even in their older age (but not nearly as old as when Z, Philosopher, and Med got to play them), and score some wins is a huge feat. I just hope you are really REALLY successful in your chosen field.

I do think Thiem was better than the Next Gen, but I still don't think of his as a nightmare. Tricky opponent, yes. But nightmare is pushing it a bit.

Wawrinka was a nightmare for Djokovic for example.

 

[NoleFam]

I do think Thiem was better than the Next Gen, but I still don't think of his as a nightmare. Tricky opponent, yes. But nightmare is pushing it a bit.

Wawrinka was a nightmare for Djokovic for example.

He was but Thiem wasn't? Hmm. Let's see. 6-21 versus 5-7. Tough call.

 

[mike danny]

He was but Thiem wasn't? Hmm. Let's see. 6-21 versus 5-7. Tough call.

Well, Wawrinka took 3 slams away from Djokovic, Thiem 0.

 

[NoleFam]

Well, Wawrinka took 3 slams away from Djokovic, Thiem 0.

You're wading through the weeds. What's the Slam head to heads?

 

[Olli Jokinen]

Well, Wawrinka took 3 slams away from Djokovic, Thiem 0.

Thiem still beat Djokovic twice i a GS.

 

[alinefx]

Dominic Thiem is 6/7 years younger than Djokovic. When he was playing the pre 2017 Nole, he was a kid. Nole beat him handily.

But from 2017 to 2020 in 4 years, he went 5-3 vs Djokovic.

One of Nole's most humiliating loss came at expense of Thiem at RG in 2017.
He stopped Nole from fighting for another Nole slam in RG 2019.
He snatched Nole's hope of ending year at number 1 in 2019.
And he possibly robbed Nole from another YEC in 2020.

4 losses Nole suffered vs him had huge significance.

Is Thiem the 5th toughest opponent Nole faced after Rafa, Fed, Andy and Stan? Or do you rate Medvedev higher?

Will anyone from before big 4 like Andy Roddick be considered better rival than Thiem? And if not for injuries, did Thiem have Nole's number or it was just a few coincidences.

Nope, this was Federer who did it to Djokovic, small payback for WC19. He whipped Djokovic that day.

 

[TheAssassin]

So-so. They had some solid battles, though Djokovic wasn't exactly flying high during most of Thiem's wins.

Truly bizarre how he meekly surrendered a double minibreak in the deciding tiebreak in ATP Finals two years in a row.

 

[RS]

So-so. They had some solid battles, though Djokovic wasn't exactly flying high during most of Thiem's wins.

Truly bizarre how he meekly surrendered a double minibreak in the deciding tiebreak in ATP Finals two years in a row.

Nice avi

 

[BeatlesFan]

Roger also played Thiem on many slow surfaces but Thiem did beat him indoors once.

The caveat being this was 2019, Roger was 38 years old and Domi was 26. Thiem would have been destroyed indoors by Fed had he not been literally on his last legs at that point.

 

[Rosstour]

Much like Peak Wawrinka, the way to beat Djokovic was to overwhelm him with power and shot depth. Thiem at his peak hit consistently harder off of both forehand and backhand than anybody on tour, it was a beauty to watch when he was on. If he had a little more mental strength, we'd be talking about a 3-4 time slam winner most likely.

It's too bad that injuries robbed him of some of his prime because he'd still be a threat today otherwise and make the tour more interesting than the general snoozefest we received in 2023. It's hard to believe that he's only 30 so maybe there's time for him to compete at the highest level again.

Wrists are probably the worst injury to get for a tennis player and he was kinda one-dimensional to begin with.

 

[mike danny]

Thiem still beat Djokovic twice i a GS.

Once was in 2017.

 

[NatF]

Thiem was a good player but he had a pretty average serve and mediocre return. He never got free points, so he had to work very hard. When he was on he was great to watch though. However I don't think he was really a nightmare for anyone, just someone you didn't want to meet in the QF or SF of a slam.