Dominic Thiem was in the crowd for the French Open final, where Alexander Zverev came out on top against Flavio Cobolli.
Thiem knows that road well. He lost his first three finals before finally breaking through to win one of his own.
The Austrian, now retired, fell short twice at Roland Garros and once at the Australian Open before finally winning the US Open.
Zverev’s victory now brings both their journeys full circle. In 2020, Thiem got his breakthrough title by beating Zverev in New York. Four years later, Zverev has lifted his first Grand Slam trophy after three previous defeats.
Alexander Zverev sent a message by Dominic Thiem after the French Open win
Thiem took to Instagram to document his brief stay in Paris, posting: “Another quick stop in Paris. Fantastic tennis and an incredible [Roland Garros] final.
“Huge congratulations to [Alexander Zverev] on a well-deserved first Grand Slam title. What a journey and what an achievement.”
“And of course, congrats to [Flavio Cobolli] on an amazing run and a fantastic match. Excited to see what’s next for both of you!”
Dominic Thiem’s Grand Slam final record
It was a nice gesture from Thiem, who lost two straight French Open finals to Rafael Nadal in 2018 and 2019. He then fell short again the following year, this time losing to Novak Djokovic in the 2020 Australian Open final.
But he finally ended that streak later that year by beating Zverev in the US Open final to claim his first and only major title.
Thiem came back from two sets down in New York to win their thrilling five-set match 2–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6(8–6).
The Austrian won a total of 17 titles during his career and reached as high as number three in the ATP rankings. He also had a strong record against Zverev, winning eight of their twelve meetings before retiring.
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