"The fact that Dominic Thiem regularly beats Federer, Nadal & Djokovic gives hope to those behind" - Paul-Henri Mathieu
Former World No. 12 Paul-Henri Mathieu believes that Dominic Thiem's success over the Big 3 in men's tennis - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic - has been a confidence-booster for the rest of the tour.
Dominic Thiem is only the second man in tennis history after Andy Murray to defeat each member of the Big 3 five times each. The Austrian is 5-2 in the head-to-head against Federer, 5-7 against Djokovic, and 6-9 against Nadal.
According to Mathieu, Thiem's series of big wins have bolstered the hopes of the other players, who now take the court against the Big 3 with a much more confident mindset.
"The fact that Dominic Thiem regularly beats Federer, Nadal and Djokovic gives more hope to those behind. They say to themselves: 'Why not us?' And that's why others succeed. It's not because the three legends are less strong," Mathieu said.
"When these young people come back on the court, they don't start beaten at all. It's really 50-50 in their head, which was not the case 3-4 years ago. The approach to the match is completely different," he added.
Paul-Henri Mathieu, who retired from the game in 2017, also believes that regular encounters with the Big 3 are helping bridge the gap between them and the rest of the field.
"The gap is narrowing. And the fact of regularly facing Djoko, Rafa and Roger, it allows Dominic Thiem, Medvedev and others, to raise their level of play," the Frenchman said.
Winning the US Open has unlocked a lot of things for Dominic Thiem: Paul-Henri Mathieu
After going 7-15 against Federer, Djokovic and Nadal combined prior to 2019, Dominic Thiem has won 9 of 12 matches against them since then. But he's had success not just against the Big 3, but against the field at large too.
Thiem won his first Masters title at Indian Wells last year, and he followed that up with a trip to the summit clash of the ATP Finals. This year he went a step further, winning his first major at the US Open in September.
Mathieu believes Thiem has taken his game to another level since his triumph in New York, as was evident in his spectacular performances at this year's ATP Finals where he again reached the title match.
"The fact of having won the US Open, it unlocked a lot of things for him," Mathieu said. "He has regularly beaten the best in his recent encounters. He even has a positive record against them in the last two years. And that does not lie. His average level of play is really high."