How Dominic Thiem finally broke into the Top 3 of ATP Rankings
Austrian tennis star, Dominic Thiem entered the top 3 of the ATP Rankings overtaking Swiss legend, Roger Federer in the process. The 26-year-old is yet to win a Grand Slam title however, his fantastic performances in the other tournaments have helped him take the third spot in the rankings.
Along with Thiem, Alexander Zverev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas have posed a threat to the Big 3 however, none of the young stars have been able to make a big impact. While Federer's struggle with injuries played a big role in this ranking change, but one should not take away the credit from Thiem after his brilliant performance at the Australian Open.
He had a disastrous start to 2019 as he got knocked out in the first round of Qatar Open and then Alexei Popyrin defeated him in the second round of Australian Open. However, he bounced back in style at the Indian Wells tournament defeating Federer in the final to claim the championship. Thiem also won the Barcelona Open adding 500 more points to his kitty.
The European player later reached the French Open final where he came up short against the King of Clay - Rafael Nadal. His form dipped once again as he lost in the first round of Wimbledon and US Open. Soon, he lost his fourth place in the ATP rankings and dropped to number 5.
After a solid performance at the ATP Finals, Thiem began the new decade on a losing note. Despite being one of the top players of his nation, he could not inspire Austria to a win in the maiden edition of ATP Cup. He could grab only 65 points from that event.
Then came the Australian Open where Thiem changed the game. He defeated the top seed Rafael Nadal and seventh seed Zverev to reach the finale. Unfortunately, he could not win the final but he earned 1,200 ranking points for his outstanding performance. This performance gave him an edge over Federer as the gap between the two stars narrowed down.
The drop date system later worked in Thiem's favor as his victories in ATP 250 and ATP 500 tournaments helped him overtake Federer. It is noteworthy that Thiem only has a total of 20 points to his name in US Open and Wimbledon. On the other hand, Federer has 1,560 points from the same events. This shows that if Thiem betters his performance at the aforementioned Grand Slam tourneys, he can build a huge lead over Federer.
Since the second ranked Nadal has a 2,000 points advantage over Thiem, it is unlikely that the Austrian star would be able to breach the Top 2 any soon. However, he has a chance of cementing the number 3 spot with some good performances later this year.
Also read | Charting the ascent of the newest world number 3 Dominic Thiem