Dominic Thiem continued his formidable march to the summit of men’s tennis in a season in which he has truly come of age, outperforming his good friend Alexander Zverev 7-5, 6-3 to reach the title match of the ATP Finals. He will face Stefanos Tsitsipas as the next generation settles at the top of the sport.
“This is just a big, big dream coming true for me,” said Thiem. “It’s one of the best tournaments all year, one of the most prestigious and I’m getting the chance to play the finals tomorrow. It’s unreal.”
Thiem had arrived in the semi-final after one of the greatest two-match stretches of his life, becoming the first player to beat Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the same group at the ATP Finals. Conventional wisdom said indoor courts were simply not compatible with his elaborate groundstrokes that could be rushed on faster surfaces, but throughout the week he has vaporised such ideas with the force of a bullet forehand.
Thiem struggled in the early exchanges as Zverev consistently rained down bombs over 140mph. The Austrian saved two break points early in the first set and he initially struggled with his first serve percentage, but he soon began to impose his vicious groundstrokes.
Across the net, the German’s composure crumbled as he failed to pressure Thiem’s vulnerable serve. The quickfire holds in the first set finally gave way as Zverev sprayed a flurry of errors and found himself facing two set points at 6-5. On the second attempt, the German double faulted. As he sat in his seat between the set he tossed his racket across the court in disgust.
Tomas Berdych has announced his retirement from tennis after a 17-year professional career, which saw him reach No 4 in the world and the 2010 Wimbledon final, where he lost to Rafael Nadal.
Berdych confirmed his decision at the ATP Finals in London after struggling with a back injury for much of the last 18 months. The Czech’s last match was a first-round loss to qualifier Jenson Brooksby at this year’s US Open – a defeat that persuaded Berdych to retire.
“I said, ‘OK that’s it. That’s enough.’ In terms of just, my body doesn’t allow me to do so, and it’s very unpredictable. There is no real point to continue.” Berdych had slipped to No 103 in the world after his injury woes.
Berdych said the 2010 Wimbledon final, and beating Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on the way there, was his career highlight. “Even the final that I lost, it was a very, very special moment,” he said.
The 34-year-old won 13 career titles and reached the semis at each grand slam. He will also be remembered for a fierce rivalry with Andy Murray, which prompted an infamous outburst from his wife, Kim Sears, at the 2015 Australian Open.
The definitive break came when Thiem led 3-2, with plenty of help from Zverev as his game collapsed in a flurry of dire errors. Thiem broke with a forehand passing shot and he never looked back. Zverev left the court seething, but before he departed for his six day off-season, he previewed the final with a prediction. “Next year will bring a new grand slam champion,” said Zverev. “We’ll see who that will be, because I think the young guys are playing incredible tennis.”
A defining year for Thiem will have a fitting finish as he chases his sixth title. At the beginning of the season he decided to step away from his long-time coach, Gunter Bresnik, who had directed most of his affairs since he was nine years old. At 26, he has finally learnt to make his own decisions and control his own destiny. He seems to like it. Alongside his new coach, Nicolas Massu, he has complemented his booming strokes with more variety and has ensured this week that he will never be called a clay-court specialist again.
