Can Dominic Thiem Beat Rafael Nadal?

  So, many are asking: Can Dominic Thiem Beat Rafael Nadal? The Australian Open finally over with Novak Djokovic cruising past Dominic Thiem in five sets. This gives the former his eighth crown. But now that chapter of the Grand Slam is over, another opens. This'll be the French Open which kicks off in May.

Introduction: Can Dominic Thiem Beat Rafael Nadal?

The dust has settled on the Australian Open after Novak Djokovic muscled past Dominic Thiem in five absorbing sets to get his hands on a record-extending eighth crown. Looking for his thirteenth win in France, Rafael Nadal will be hoping to raise the Coupe des Mousquetaires in triump. But I'm certain that Thiem has other plans. Looking at his recent history, maybe he's in the best place to dethrone Nadal.

Numbers Don't Tell the Whole Story

On paper, and according to online sports books in the UK, Thiems numbers are not happy reading. For example, he lost all the Grand Slam finals he entered. On clay he was defeated at Roland Garros by Nadal two years in a row. But, though he lost this Aussie final to s.Djokovic, he actually beat him four times out of their last five meetings. Against Nadal, things haven't been quite so rosy. Though Thiem did dispose of Nadal in the Barcelona open last year. He won in straight sets to the Spaniard and produced an impeccable display of power plays.

Moving Up

Right now, Thiem is placed forth on the ATP world tennis rankings. He is around 85 points below Federer, who is in third place. The hope for a rise in rankings becomes clearer when you watch him play. He has a crunching forehand. His backhand is probably the best single handed backhand among all those taking part in the tour. Add in his kick serve and you have probably the best all round complete player. Because of the promise shown, he's currently a favorite of the bookmakers for the French Open. Both Ladbrokes and Willian Hill have him at 3:1, which by the way is the same as Djokovic. For other tennis odds, check out these online sports book sites in the UK.

At Home On Clay

Even though many players call themselves all rounder who are happy to play on any surface, in truth they all have a favorite. And so it is the same with Thiem. Though he's getting stronger at his grass game, it's easy to see that he's most comfortable on clay. take note that his last ten out of sixteen ATP wins came on red dirt. Going back a couple of years to his first defeat at the hands of Nadal in the 2018 French Open, we can see that Thiem has been making steady progress. During that match, he was only able to break once. He won only 67% of first serve points compared with Nadal's 82%. The match ended with Nadal showing just how superior he was by beating the Austrian in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2 and 6-2. Remember that you can bet on tennis with Bet365.

Can Dominic Thiem beat Rafael Nadal?: Any Day Now

Jumping forwards by twelve months and we can see that Thiem, though still losing to the Spaniard, was able to pick up a set along the way. Interestingly enough, both Nadal and Djokovic pointed out that Thiem is on the point of being rewarded with some wins any day. It's nice of them to say that, but the record set by the top three players are quite staggering.

The Top Three are Very Strong

Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have all shared the last thirteen Grand Slams between themselves. The mighty Serbian has spent a total of 276 weeks at the top. That's just 34 weeks shorter than Federer's record. On the other hand, you should keep in mind that these players are not getting any younger. They are all into their thirties. To that end, Thiem has plenty of time. His game play is pretty much perfect, with no obvious flaws in his game. patience is the key. I should point out that Be365 have Nadal at 10/11 for the French Open. But Thiem isn't so far behind.