Federer's coach believes Thiem can challenge but not for top spot: 'He can win tournaments , but will he be number one in the world next year? Maybe but I don't think so'
Tennis News
Ivan Ljubicic who is coach to Roger Federer has given his thoughts on Dominic Thiem and in particular whether he can challenge for the World Number One spot.
While he believes that Thiem can win tournaments he thinks that a World Number One spot is out of reach.
He said that it will likely only be so if the top three end up toppling themselves all at once but that despite him having wins over Federer, it doesn't mean anything if he doesn't have the Grand Slam titles.
“He can win tournaments, but will he be number one of the world next year? Maybe. But I don’t think so.” Ljubicic said during a recent interview.
“It’s hard to say if he will be number one in the world. Maybe all three guys will go down at once. But is tough.’
“We cannot predict the future. Dominic is a great player, he beat Roger two times this year. But how many Grand Slam-titles has the three guys won all together? Dominic has been in two Grand Slam-finals. It’s a big difference.”

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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