“Was competing with the 3 greatest”: Dominic Thiem discusses ‘intense’ Federer, Nadal, Djokovic era, says he didn’t believe US Open win was possible

Dominic Thiem recently said he didn’t believe winning a Grand Slam and reaching the World No. 3 was possible during the era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. He also weighed in on how these battles alongside years of heavy workload contributed to his wrist injury.

In May this year, Thiem announced that the 2024 season would be his swansong. He is currently preparing for the US Open, which will be the final Grand Slam appearance of his career. The Austrian’s solitary Major triumph came at Flushing Meadows in 2020. A recurring wrist injury since then has rendered him a shadow of his former self.

During a recent interview with The Athletic, the 30-year-old said competing with Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic was “intense.” He added that the matches against the Big 3, coupled with all the workload from the years prior, contributed towards his wrist injury.

“I was competing with the three greatest [Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic]. That was intense. It certainly contributed to the injury. But also, all the years before, I always had a big workload and intensity in my practice,” Thiem said.

“It’s something that doctors and many other people have said that at some point, the wrist broke because of all the shots I did, all the hard practices I did, all the years before. I was always striving to get better and get even closer to the best players in the world,” he added.

Dominic Thiem feels he was lucky to play during the Big 3 era. The 30-year-old mentioned he entered the Top 100 much later than them, and thus, he didn’t think he would win a Grand Slam or reach No. 3 in the ATP rankings.

“I consider myself lucky to have been a part of that timeline with the Big 3 and all the other great players. I came up to the top 100 way later than most; they came up when they were like 18.. whereas I was 20 and a half. I didn’t think it would be possible for me to become a Grand Slam champion and #3 in the world,” he said.

Dominic Thiem is 5-2 against Federer, 6-10 against Nadal, and 5-7 against Djokovic.

Dominic Thiem will play Ben Shelton in the opening round of the 2024 US Open

Dominic Thiem will play 13th seed and home favorite Ben Shelton in the opening round of the 2024 US Open. This will be the third clash between the two men, with both their previous meetings coming in 2023. The first came in Estoril where the Austrian ousted the American in straight sets and the second one at the US Open where Thiem retired mid-match with Shelton a set up.

Thiem, who defeated Alexander Zverev in a thrilling five-setter to clinch the 2020 US Open title, has received a wildcard to enter the main draw this year.

Shelton, on the other hand, reached the semifinals in New York last year when he was defeated by eventual champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets.