Dominic Thiem was among Rafael Nadal’s great rivals at Roland Garros between 2017 and 2019. The Austrian scored notable victories in Paris during those three seasons to set the clash against the king of clay. Rafa proved too strong in all three duels, knocking Dominic down and extending his incredible Roland Garros run.
Two rivals met in the 2019 final, and the Spaniard scored a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 victory in three hours for his 12th Roland Garros title and 18th Major. Patrick McEnroe watched the match from the stands and was impressed with Nadal’s performance in the first five games..
In fact, Rafa took charge only in the middle of the set, raking back a break and rattling off four straight games to win the opener 6-3 and gain momentum. Thiem recovered in set number two and matched his opponent’s pace. He served well and took a break at 6-5 to level the overall score and gain confidence.
Instead of taking advantage of that, the Austrian faded off the court in sets three and four, allowing the Spaniard to lift his 12th title in Paris.
Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem met in the 2019 Roland Garros final.
At 33, Nadal became the third-oldest champion in Paris in the Open era after Andrés Gimeno (1972) and Ken Rosewall (1968).
Rafa earned 45% of the return points, breaking Dominic seven times out of 13 chances and suffering just two breaks. He mounted the pressure on the younger opponent and broke his resistance after the second set. The Spaniard had the lead with 38 winners and 31 unforced errors.
He dominated the rallies and stopped Thiem with 31 winners and 38 errors after a solid performance that left Dominic unchallenged after set number two. «I went to Roland Garros as a fan. Dominic Thiem played very well that year, reaching the final and facing Rafael Nadal.
We all thought Thiem could win a Major in Paris, and he ended up winning the US Open a year later. Dominic beat Novak Djokovic en route to the title clash at Roland Garros, and got off to the worst start against Rafa, barely picking up points in the opening games.
Thiem was lucky to take something away from Nadal in the first five games; that’s how good Rafa was,» said Patrick McEnroe.
