Dominic Thiem produced a gritty, gut wrenching comeback from two sets down against Alexander Zverev to win the US Open final on Sunday.- In doing so, he became the only male player in US Open history to win the final after trailing by two sets.
- "I dedicated basically my whole life until this point to win one of the four majors. Now I did it." Thiem said after.
- Zverev, who broke down in tears in his runner-up speech, said: "I don't think it's my last chance. I do believe that I will be a Grand Slam champion at some point."
Dominic Thiem produced a gritty, gut wrenching comeback from two sets down against Alexander Zverev to win the US Open final on Sunday.
Thiem, who his lost his previous three major finals, looked set for another agonizing defeat after going 2-6, 4-6 behind in just 79 minutes.
However the 27-year-old clawed back 6-4, 6-3 to take the tie to a final set, which he won via a tiebreak 7-6 (8-6) to secure his maiden Grand Slam title.
It is the first time in the US Open era that a male player has come back from two sets down to win the final.
The last player to do so was American Pancho Gonzales in 1949, who beat countryman Ted Schroeder when the tournament was known as the US National Championships.
—US OpenTennis (@usopen) September 14, 2020
"I achieved a life goal, a dream of myself, which I had for many, many years," Thiem said after, addressing an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"I dedicated basically my whole life until this point to win one of the four majors. Now I did it. That's also for myself a great accomplishment.
"I mean, it's by far not only myself, it's an accomplishment from all my team, from all my family. I guess also today is the day where I gave back a huge amount of what they did for me."
Thiem also added that winning his first ever Grand Slam would likely to him become a "little bit more relaxed and play a little bit more freely" in future majors.
Zverev heartbroken by defeat
The match was a huge opportunity for both players to win their first ever Grand Slam titles, with a number of the tour's biggest stars not in the draw.
Rafael Nadal did not travel to the tournament amid COVID-19 concerns, while Roger Federer was absent through injury. Novak Djokovic was also defaulted out in the fourth round after hitting a line judge with an errant ball .
Zverev, playing in his first ever Slam final, had the opportunity to write himself into the history books after steaming into a two set lead.
However, the 23-year-old ultimately collapsed under the pressure to allow Thiem back into the tie, before producing two double-faults in the final set tie break to all but hand his opponent the trophy.
"I was super close to being a Grand Slam champion. I was a few games away, maybe a few points away," Zverev said in his runner-up speech, during which he broke into tears.
"For me, what upset me the most is not the third set, it's the fifth set. I had a lot of chances in the fifth set and didn't use them.
"I'm 23 years old. I don't think it's my last chance. I do believe that I will be a Grand Slam champion at some point."
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