Dominic Thiem declares ambition to "climb higher up the rankings"

Dominic Thiem has been touted by many as the player who could bring an end to the dominance of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic on the ATP tour.

Men's tennis' fabled 'Big 3' have amassed 56 Grand Slam titles in total and have won each of the last 13 Majors. But the 26-year-old Thiem has come of age during this 'golden era', and has started challenging the legendary trio on a regular basis.

Thiem has now revealed that he isn't satisfied with where he is, and is desperate to take that much-awaited next step. Speaking after the Bett1Aces exhibition final in Berlin, the Austrian claimed that he wants to rise even further up the rankings.

"Of course I want to get even higher. That is clear," Thiem said. "(I want to) climbing further in the ranking."

The World No. 3 is substantially behind Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the rankings, but he has a long list of achievements to his name already.

Thiem has defeated each of the Big 3 on their favorite surface - Rafael Nadal on clay, Roger Federer on grass and Novak Djokovic on hardcourt. He not only has a Masters 1000 title (at Indian Wells) under his belt, but also finished as the runner-up at the Nitto ATP Finals last year, going down to Stefanos Tsitsipas in a thriller.

STEF MAKES HISTORY! @StefTsitsipas defeats Dominic Thiem 6-7 6-2 7-6 to become the 2019 #NittoATPFinals champion 🏆 pic.twitter.com/TIuDZ9pAD9

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 17, 2019

More importantly, Dominic Thiem is a three-time Slam runner-up - and seems to be getting closer to the finish line with every such outing. He lost to Rafael Nadal in the 2018 Roland Garros final in straight sets, then took him to four sets in the 2019 final, and finally pushed Novak Djokovic all the way in the Australian Open 2020 final before bowing out in five.

Expressing a strong desire to win a Grand Slam title, the Austrian claimed that he thought for a long time about what he could have done better during his match against Djokovic.

"After that, I nibbled on it for a few days and weeks, went through the game night after night to find out what I could have done better," Thiem said.

Dominic Thiem recently triumphed at the exhibition tournament in Berlin, beating Matteo Berrettini in the final 6-7 (4) 6-4 10-8 (mtb). Speaking after the match, Dominic Thiem said:

"When I canceled two break points in the second set the game changed. I am happy because I played well on the grass, even without specific preparation and against an opponent who confirmed all his worth on this surface."

Will Dominic Thiem play the US Open?

Rafael Nadal (L) and Dominic Thiem at US Open 2018

With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging in the United States, the prospect of travelling to New York for the US Open has become a daunting one for many players on the tour.

Top players like Rafael Nadal, Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber have all expressed their reservations about that. Even Novak Djokovic, who is the president of the ATP Player Council, has raised doubts about his participation in the US Open.

Dominic Thiem had said he would play both Cincinnati (to be played in New York) and the US Open when the restart was announced, but has now expressed concerns about the safety restrictions imposed by the USTA.

"The whole thing is shaky," the 26-year-old said regarding the US Open.

In any case, Dominic Thiem has been the most active player on the men's tour during the break from tennis, and he spoke about his lock-down routine in Berlin last week.

"You spend a lot of time in the hotel," Thiem said. "I watched the matches of the tournament on TV, then ordered dinner and went to bed between 9.30pm and 10pm."

With this new system, Dominic Thiem has a chance on year end #1 if he can deliver at the US Open (specially) and Roland Garros. Dominic lost in the 1st round of the 2019 US Open...Can also add a lot of points in Cincinnati and Rome...

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) July 6, 2020

With Nadal already practicing on clay and having confirmed his participation in the Madrid Masters, the Spaniard's presence at the US Open is in serious doubt. And with Djokovic seemingly in two minds as well, Dominic Thiem's best chance at a Grand Slam title in 2020 could well be at Flushing Meadows.

Time will tell whether the Austrian pounces on the opportunity or not.