Dominic Thiem: I played tennis of my life in AO final, Novak Djokovic still beat me

Dominic Thiem admitted he felt he was at his absolute best when he lost to Novak Djokovic in the 2020 Australian Open final.

In his first and lone Australian Open final, Thiem delivered a big fight but it was Djokovic who escaped with a 6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3 6-4.

Before losing the 2020 Australian Open final, Thiem was beaten by Rafael Nadal in back-to-back French Open finals in 2018 and 2019.

“Against both of them, it was very difficult. When I played the final of the Australian Open, I played the best tennis of my life. I was in top shape, also tennis-wise, and I played probably the best tournament of my entire career. And again I lost in five sets to Novak. I almost couldn’t have played better and still lost. That says it all. Same at Roland Garros, in the final in 2019. I played a great tournament. Not as good as in Australia, but still at a very high level. And again I lost the final to Rafa in four sets. The two of them are almost unbeatable at their favorite tournaments, Novak in Australia and Rafa at Roland Garros,” Thiem told dnevnik.hr.

Thiem on Djokovic’s latest Australian Open win

This past January, Djokovic lifted a record 10th Australian Open title and he is also now tied with Nadal on the all-time Grand Slam record list with 22 Majors.

Djokovic, who will be turning 36 in May, is still looking as good as ever and Thiem is not surprised by the fact that the Serb is still a dominant force in the game. 

“I’m not very surprised, because he still feels he’s young. Physically, mentally, the way he moves, even though he’s had some injuries, the way he moves he looks like he’s 25. You have to be, everyone has to be honest that he is the best tennis player. So it was no surprise that he won the tournament,” Thiem said of Djokovic’s latest Australian Open triumph.

In the same interview, 2020 US Open champion Thiem revealed he feels he can still rediscover his best tennis and compete again for Grand Slam titles.

Thiem was out for nearly a year before returning to tennis last March.

At this year’s Australian Open, Thiem suffered a straight-set defeat to Andrey Rublev in the first round.