Is Fast-Rising Dominic Thiem Ready to Become a Top Contender?
A new breakout star is blossoming in men’s tennis, one who appears on the fast track to a spot in the top 10 and status as a legitimate Grand Slam title contender.
His name? Dominic Thiem.
February is generally one of the quieter periods on the ATP calendar as players recover from the Australian Open and prepare for a salvo of spring Masters Series tournaments.
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That didn’t stop a surging Thiem from making plenty of noise.
The 22-year-old Austrian went 13-1 last month, winning two titles (Argentina Open, Mexican Open) and rising to a career-high rank of No. 14. In just a few weeks, Thiem could be 10th in the world—that’s how quickly he’s climbing.
Thiem shined on the dirt in Buenos Aires, Argentina. There, he survived a quartet of three-set thrillers, outlasting a hungry Rafael Nadal in the semifinals before coming back to claim a gritty victory over veteran Nicolas Almagro for the title.
He didn’t take much time off to celebrate, traveling to Rio de Janeiro the next week. After a scintillating takedown of David Ferrer (his second win over a top-10 player in February), he ran out of gas in the semifinals, falling to Guido Pella.
Yet his tour of the Americas continued in Acapulco, Mexico, where he stormed to his maiden hard-court title. Beating quality foes in Grigor Dimitrov, Sam Querrey and Bernard Tomic, Thiem showcased all his tools and made a strong case to be considered the game’s top young talent.
"It was unbelievable," Thiem told ATPWorldTour.com after Acapulco. "These three weeks have been amazing. Winning my first 500 title and first hard-court title, it was just perfect."
That crown pushed Thiem’s overall 2016 record to 18-4, giving him the most ATP victories this season. In the current year-to-date rankings race, he sits No. 3. A maiden berth in the World Tour Finals is a possibility based on his trajectory.
Two things immediately jump out when watching Thiem: his power and athleticism. Not only does he have good action and pace on his serve, but it’s becoming an important weapon in his arsenal that he uses to win free points.
"The more I watch home Thiem the more I like what I am seeing, such a great kick serv for his size and the bachand off the charts
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) February 28, 2016"
From the ground, Thiem possesses overwhelming strokes. He can beat you from both sides, owning one of the most lethal one-handed backhands. Picture a younger Stan Wawrinka but with a slighter frame.
What Thiem lacks in muscle, he makes up for with blazing footwork. Extremely nimble and agile, he can fly around the court and play top-notch defense.
It’s no wonder he’s becoming such a force on clay. With four titles on the surface already under his belt and a 42-19 mark, Thiem is positioning himself to be a dark-horse contender at this year’s French Open. Don’t be surprised to see him go deep into the second week at Roland Garros, where he reached the boys' singles final in 2011.
As his run in Acapulco demonstrated, he’s more than just a clay-court specialist: He’s starting to thrive on faster courts with the help of his massive shots and growing sense of poise. Armed with that biting kick serve, Thiem's results on grass should also pick up once he hones his net game.
The next step for Thiem is translating his success to the Grand Slam level. So far in his career, he’s only once reached the fourth round of a major (2014 U.S. Open). Then again, he's only made nine Grand Slam appearances. Building experience at those events will take time, as will his ability to perform over the course of best-of-five set matches.
A litmus test is coming for Thiem, with so many important tournaments on the horizon. If he maintains his recent level, he'll soon be taking home bigger hardware.
All statistics are courtesy of ATPWorldTour.com unless otherwise noted.
Joe Kennard is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.
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