Dominic Thiem can be the next World No. 1, says Roberta Vinci's former coach

Dominic Thiem has long been touted as the most likely candidate to end the hegemony of the Big 3. And there have been occasions when the Austrian has promised to live up to those expectations, only to fall short at the last hurdle.

Dominic Thiem has lost three Grand Slam finals in three years - two to Rafael Nadal, and one to Novak Djokovic. But that hasn’t stopped Francesco Cina - Roberta Vinci’s former coach - from continuing to put his faith in the Austrian.

“La ragione dice Thiem, il cuore Sinner”: Francesco Cinà, responsabile tecnico del Country Time Club di Palermo https://t.co/NHweMke8P6 pic.twitter.com/HlC4pRN1Nx

— Ubitennis (@Ubitennis) August 17, 2020

In a recent interview with Ubitennis, Cina expressed his belief that Dominic Thiem will be the next World No. 1 on the men's tour. The current manager of the Country Time Club in Palermo also showered praise on the Austrian’s mental capacity, saying he is the 'most ready' among all the youngsters.

Dominic Thiem is the most obvious choice: Francesco Cina

Dominic Thiem can be the next No. 1, says Cina

Dominic Thiem is currently No. 3 in the ATP rankings, and has consistently been in the top 5 for more than a year. However, displacing the Big 3 has proven to be tough for the Austrian.

The most straightforward way for Theim to overtake them in the rankings would be to win the big tournaments, but that is easier said than done. Even when he has got past one or two among Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the remaining one has found a way to halt the Austrian’s charge.

Francesco Cina acknowledged this difficulty faced by Thiem, and highlighted the immense quality of the Big 3.

“The problem is hard as Djokovic and Nadal and Federer were incredible and they are always going to be doing something truly exceptional,” Cina said.

Dominic Thiem has lost two Roland Garros finals to Rafael Nadal

The task for Dominic Thiem is quite monumental, as he has realized after ending on the losing side in three Grand Slam finals - the 2018 French Open, the 2019 French Open and the 2020 Australian Open. In two of those instances, he beat Novak Djokovic (2019 French Open) and Rafael Nadal (2020 AO), but went on to lose the finals to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Still, Thiem’s ability to make so many finals in such a tough era has reinforced Cina’s belief that the Austrian could some day go on to become World No. 1.

“Today the most obvious name is Thiem. He is the most obvious why? He is the one who has already played three final Slams,” Cina replied when asked who the next World No. 1 will be.

Dominic Thiem after losing to Novak Djokovic in the final of AO 2020

Mentality is often the key ingredient when it comes to succeeding against the Big 3, and those who watched Dominic Thiem's Slam finals would readily vouch for that. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic displayed immense grit and composure to overcome the Austrian at Paris and Melbourne respectively, while Thiem himself suffered lapses in concentration at all the wrong times.

Roberta Vinci’s former coach, however, believes that the Austrian is now mentally ready to ascend new heights in tennis, even if his game itself isn’t as ‘showy’ as some of his peers.

“On a mental level I think he is the most ready one and then one may or may not like his game," Cina said. "Technically it is not as showy as these three sacred monsters or other young people like Tsitsipas or Shapovalov. But I think that if I had to say one name today I would say Thiem, yes."