Sports
Thiem will be in contention to become the first athlete born in the 1990s to win a major title.
Updated : Jan 31, 2020, 07:27 PM IST | Edited by : Snehadri Sarkar
Dominic Thiem secured a dramatic win over Alex Zverev in the semi-final of the ongoing Australian Open on Friday (January 31).
The Austrian knocked out Zverev to secure his spot in the final of the tournament.
Thiem beat his opponent 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4) after successfully completing his comeback during a dramatic clash at the Rod Laver Arena.
The 26-year-old is now set to face the Serbian ace Novak Djokovic in the men's Grand Slam final.
Speaking at the post-match interview, Thiem said: "It was an unreal match, two tie-breaks, too tough and too close. It was almost impossible to break him on his serve, so accurate. But Australian Open final, unreal! I was playing four hours 10 against Rafa, the most intense guy on tour."
"I was in bed at five that night with all the adrenaline so today was a tough start for me. "In grand slam semi-finals the levels of guts is so high, there were many key moments. At 5-4 in the second, I had to save many set points," he added.
On his way to the final, Dominic created headlines when he managed to knock out Rafael Nadal earlier in the week. Djokovic, on the other hand, outclassed the Swiss maestro Roger Federer in straight sets to book his place in the final.
Thiem will be in contention to become the first athlete born in the 1990s to win a major title.