US Open champion Dominic Thiem said Sunday that chasing future Slams will be easier now that he has that elusive first tennis major under his belt following three near misses.
The second-seeded Austrian thought he was heading for a fourth defeat in Grand Slam finals after going two sets down to fifth-seeded German Alexander Zverev at Flushing Meadows.
But the 27-year-old rallied to complete a stunning comeback 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) against his 23-year-old friend to secure a maiden Grand Slam title.
With that monkey off his back, Thiem says he expects to be able to play more freely at Slams as he bids to snatch titles away from the “Big Three” of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
“It’s going to be or I expect that it’s going to be easier for me now in the biggest tournaments,” Thiem told reporters.
“Because, of course, I had it in the back of my head that I had a great career so far, way better career than I could ever dreamt of, but until today there was still a big part, a big goal missing.
“With this goal achieved, I think and I hope that I’m going to be a little bit more relaxed and play a little bit more freely at the biggest events,” he added.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to Thiem’s win:
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