Long-regarded as the "Prince of Clay", Dominic Thiem has worked hard to shed that moniker and hopes to improve on his hard court success at the Nitto ATP Finals.
After finishing runner-up at consecutive French Opens, the Austrian finally won his maiden Grand slam at the 2020 US Open. Furthermore, he claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 title last year at Indian Wells, indicating that perhaps he is more of a threat on hard courts than expected.
“Maybe sometimes I am even more comfortable on a hard court." Thiem said. "I guess the results from late 2019 until today, they were even better on hard courts. It suits most parts of my game even better than the clay court.”
Although the World No.3 won his first four ATP titles on clay, his style of play has given him an edge when battling on hard courts. The 27-year old practiced on clay during the pandemic-induced ATP suspension, but was eager to switch to the faster hard courts upon resumption of the Tour.
“When it was set that the US Open was going to happen, I was super happy to be back on hard courts,” Thiem said. “Same after the French Open again. Now I almost feel the same on both surfaces.”
After being honored in his native Austria with the Sportsman of the Year Award, the US Open champion arrived in London for the season-ending ATP Finals. Thiem will face reigning champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in a rematch of last year's final, with the Austrian holding a 4-3 career lead over his Greek opponent.
Prior to the Finals in London next week, the Sofia Open is the last tournament of the season. Click here for up-to-date results and live scores.
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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