Dominic Thiem is having the best worst weekend at the French Open

Poor Dominic Thiem. After wind, wintry conditions, and rain delays stretched out the messy match over two days, the Austrian won over Djokovic, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, 5-7, 7-5. But he now faces a rested Rafa in less than 24 hours on Sunday’s final. Good luck.

The semifinal between Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem was a very messy affair. Like it did in Rafael Nadal’s and Roger Federer’s semfinal, the wintry wind conditions wreaked havoc on Friday. Nadal and Federer soldiered on in their match, but French Open officials said enough was enough and cancelled play after four gruelling sets, with the momentum going Thiem’s way, leading 3-1 in the fourth.

If you want to see how bad it was, check out this undedited photo of Federer earlier on Friday, when the wind was blowing the orange clay everywhere:

https://twitter.com/norinchi_df/status/1137298577607352320

The decision turned out to be a controversial one since blue skies opened up in the three missed daylight hours, but the two players were forced to conclude their semfinal on Saturday, and still dealt with another frustrating rain delay. Some thought that Djokovic had called for Friday’s cancellation, walking off before officials announced it. However, officials later clarified that the decision had been reached with both players prior to this.

Ultimately, the Austrian ended Novak’s 26-match grand slam streak on Day 2 of the semi, and his hopes of completing the 4-slam-in-a-row Nole slam for a second time. Djokovic’s 2016 win at Roland Garros remains his only triump there, equal to Federer’s only 2009 victory.

The pendulum swung so many times over the course of two days, it was maddening. On Friday, Thiem had the momentum and it looked like he was going to close it out in four sets, when the rain delay and 35 mph wind gusts forced the extension of the match to the next day. When the two players emerged from the locker rooms on Saturday, the World No. 4 lacked the same confidence and Djokovic was able to flip the script of the match and force the backhand errors from the 25-year-old. Testament to both competitors who displayed an extraordinary amount of athletisism to keep the rallies going, like this stunning example from Thiem who almost broke the Serb early in the fifth:

However, Thiem was unable to capitalize, and continued with several errors in the match, before regaining the momentum with breaks that put him up 4-1 in the final set. At deuce, the rain delay struck again, forcing both players to take yet another break. 32-year-old Djokovic was able to emerge from his funk and change the tenor of an already dramatic and tightly contested match. Where the 15-slam champion had been rushing his points prior to the rain storm– and thus making crucial errors– he was able to emerge more focussed at the conclusion of the match, putting more games on the board. This time, it was Thiem’s turn to lose control, with forced and unforced errors flying off his racquet. Once a resilient Djokovic was able to get the score to 5-4, it seemed as if the semifinal was running away from Thiem.

But in the end, Djokovic squandered his opportunities. A few returns into the net pushed the score to deuce again on the world No. 1’s serve. But this time the Austrian pounced, hitting a 93 mph forehand right where he needed it: it kissed the corner to solidify the brutal match win for Dominic Thiem.

Both players committed several errors under difficult match conditions. Although Thiem logged more than the 2016 French Open champion–60 astonishing errors compared to Djokovic’s 53– it was his ability to produce a winner during crucial points that culminated in the victory. Djokovic produced 39 winners compared to 51 for Thiem.

Thiem is the first Austrian to make multiple grand slam finals, getting to the French final two years in a row now. Unfortunately for him, he faces a rested and prepared Rafael Nadal, going for his 12th French title. It’s a terrible state of affairs that has one man with just 23 hours to rest and prepare for the match of his life, because the French Open is the last grand slam to depoly a much-needed roof. Combined with weather circumstances that forced the women’s semifinals to side courts and bad calls that Hawkeye could solve, let’s hope that French Open officials can remedy these glaring problems. It would also produce fairer circumstances for all the players.

The French Open men’s final will take place on Sunday, at 9:00 a.m., viewable on NBC, with an encore presentation later in the day on the Tennis Channel.