French Open day 13: Can anyone beat Rafa Nadal in a final? Dominic Thiem has a plan
The French Open men’s final is set, with Nadal in his 11th final at Roland Garros, and Dominic Thiem in his first on Sunday.
If there’s one player who can possibly offer a challenge to the ‘king of clay’ Rafael Nadal, it just might be Dominic Thiem, the 24-year-old Austrian player who beat Rafa in straight sets, on clay, in Madrid earlier this year. He also defeated the 10-time French Open champ last year on clay, the only player to do so, in Rome. Thiem’s considered the second best clay court player. He’s now in his first grand slam final, at Roland Garros.
But he’s facing the player who’s won there so many times, the grounds practically belong to the man from Mallorca.
The world No. 8 says that this time he’s ready. And this time he has a plan.
"“[Nadal’s] a big favorite against everybody. Still, I know how to play against him. I have a plan,” said Thiem, via The Guardian, after his win over Marco Cecchinato, 7-5, 7-6(10), 6-1.“If I want to beat him, I have to play the way I did in Rome [last year] and in Madrid. But I’m also aware that here it’s tougher. He likes the conditions more than in Madrid. Best of five is also a different story.”"
Dominic Thiem is called the “prince of clay” and has won more clay matches than anyone this year. Of his 10 ATP titles, eight of them are on the red dirt. Both he and Nadal took roughly the same amount of time to dismantle their opponents, clocking in matches on Friday in just over two hours.
Thiem ended Italy’s Cecchinato wonderful Cinderella run, surviving a pivotal moment during a tense second set tiebreak that went to 12 points.
"“The big key was the second set, it was a close tiebreak and if I lost it, I didn’t want that because it would be a tough match,” said Thiem. “It’s a very nice feeling to come through that and make the final here for the first time.”"
Nadal didn’t have much of a challenge from world No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro. The Argentine had his chance to break in the first set, but with the opportunity missed, the Spaniard was able to completely dominate and dictate play in a way that left little room for Delpo to even catch his breath. In fact, the defending Indian Wells champ thinks Rafa’s more improved than when he first won the title at Roland Garros over a decade ago.
"“He’s too strong,” del Potro said after the match. “He’s improving his backhand a lot. That’s why he’s the No 1 and beating all the guys. “He looks fresh. I mean, he’s healthy. And the strength that he has and the mentally, everything is perfect, works perfect for him playing in clay.”"
Now del Potro will be watching the action on Sunday.
The French Open final is the biggest moment in Thiem’s career. For Nadal, he’s been there many, many times before.
The men’s final can be watched on Sunday, 9: 00 a. m., EST, on NBC. The women’s final between Simona Halep and Sloane Stephens takes place on Saturday.