When Dominic Thiem won the 2020 US Open, tennis’ Wheel of Life had seemingly course-corrected. After more than three years’ utter domination by the legendary, but ageing, trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic — they had swept the previous 13 Majors — it appeared that the old had given way to the new. Before Thiem, one had to travel back six long years for a first-time Slam winner – Marin Cilic at the 2014 US Open.
It didn’t matter that the tournament was wrecked by Covid and was played in the soul-shattering atmosphere of a bio-bubble. An injured Federer had by then shut down his season and Nadal didn’t take the trouble to cross the Atlantic amidst severe travel restrictions. Djokovic entered New York, but was disqualified for accidentally striking a lineswoman with the ball during his fourth-round match.
This meant the competition provided the first glimpse of how men’s tennis could shape up in the absence of the ‘Big Three’. Thiem, ranked No. 3 in the world, led the mid-card, also comprising Alexander Zverev (the vanquished finalist), Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, and was the first to break through. That he had already reached three Grand Slam finals (2018 & 2019 French Open, 2020 Australian Open) and beaten the top stars consistently made his ascent unsurprising.
