French Open could witness a deep surge
Despite having such a top-class support team and an obviously exceptional talent, it’s probably too early to entertain the possibility that the player nicknamed “Dominator” by his fans and admirers will get his hands on some silverware from any of the year’s three remaining Slams.
That said, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that he will go far. It’s an occupational hazard for many up-and-coming tennis prodigies that their potential can get dismissed out of hand but then again it’s nice when the hype is minimal because it creates a blinkered climate where the player can focus on the singularity of sharpening their craft.
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Comfortable on a variety of different surfaces, he carries a threat no matter what he’s gliding across, but it has been his form on clay that has captured the attention of tennis fans the world over. This year already, he has racked up an 8-1 record and recently managed to overcome the challenge of the King of Clay Rafael Nadal.
Sure, the Spaniard's powers have waned considerably in recent years, but it remains a big name to take down andreminded us all to take Thiem's ability on the powdery shale as serious as possible.
With the clay court season upon us, we're all going to get a proper look at the contenders, but nobdy should be surprised to see the 22-year-old Austrian win a couple of these tournaments, or at least push the favourites hard. Go well over the next few weeks and he could be in a terrific position by the time Roland Garros rolls into focus to go deep and maybe even reach the quarter finals.
For sure, he’ll have his own objectives, but the quality is certainly there to accommodate a few headline-grabbing performances, especially if he continues to move about the court with fluidity and he’s confident enough to use his key skills such as his kick-serve and his much improved return game, something he already put to good use against “Djoker” in Miami, as outlined by tennis statistician Steph Strudel:
They say only fools rush in, but this could really be a huge year for Thiem if he stays focused and on course. It's a distinct possibility that 2016 might finally provide us all with the moment a young wonderkid stops teasing us with budding snippets and finally steps up to announce the arrival of the so-called next-gen stars, and Thiem has all the right tools to be that trail-blazer.
