5 biggest obstacles to a Fedal showdown at US Open 2017

#5 : Dominic Thiem (Federer’s potential opponent in the Quarter-Finals)

Thiem knows what it takes to beat the Big 4!

The heir-apparent to Rafa Nadal’s throne on the red dirt, Dominic Thiem is the kind of player who can give you all sorts of problems on his day.

The 6th seed at the US Open this year, Thiem himself has a difficult path to the quarter-finals, but if he gets there and so does Federer, we could see a matchup between two of the most contrasting single-handed backhands left in the game.

Federer’s backhand is all about flair and timing, and Thiem epitomises aggression and strength from the baseline.

Thiem has already beaten Djokovic (French Open) and Nadal (Rome) this year, albeit on clay courts, which is definitely his most dominant surface. The interesting sub-text on this potential matchup though is that Thiem leads the career head2head between the duo.

While the two have faced-off only 3 times, all in 2016, Thiem currently leads Federer 2-1. He is one of the only next generation stars who has beaten each member of the historically great Big 4, at least once.

He is currently third on the tour this year in terms of matches won (41), after Nadal (49) and Alexander Zverev (46) and sits 4th in the ATP Singles Race to London. He will need to better his previous best showing of a 4th Round finish at the US Open to set up a potential clash with Federer, but if that was to happen, Federer wouldn't be all too pleased!