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Alongside his 2020 US Open crown, Dominic Thiem has another diamond in his collection. The Austrian is the only player with a bagel against Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at Majors, with no one else achieving that on the most notable scene.
Bageling Djokovic or Nadal is always challenging, especially not at Majors, with both legends experiencing a 0-6 set only a couple of times throughout their incredible careers. By the will of tennis gods, Thiem grabbed a perfect set against both within six Majors!
Dominic and Novak met in the 2017 Roland Garros semi-final. The Austrian scored a masterclass 7-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory, delivering the Serb's first bagel at Majors since 2005! Djokovic had struggled with his elbow ahead of Paris, reaching the last four but failing to follow Thiem's pace after the opener.
Also, Novak concluded his season after Wimbledon and missed the second part of the year. Dominic grabbed his chances and advanced into his first Major final after outplaying Novak in sets two and three.
Dominic Thiem is the only player who bageled Nadal and Djokovic at Majors.
After the second set, Djokovic had nothing left in the tank, standing miles behind the finish line.
Thiem grabbed a break in the third set's first game after Djokovic's forehand error. An ace sent the Austrian 2-0 up, and he looked better and better on the court. Dominic broke Novak at love in game three after a deep return and almost sealed his win.
Thiem clinched the fourth game with a forehand winner, taking the previous ten points and marching towards the top. With no energy in his legs and shots, Djokovic suffered another break in game five after a tired forehand, allowing his opponent to serve for the victory.
Dominic sealed the deal with a backhand down the line winner in game six for 6-0 in swift 20 minutes and a place in a Major final. Thiem played a thrilling encounter against Rafael Nadal in the US Open quarter-final a year later.
It was one of the most exciting matches of the season, and Nadal prevailed 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 in four hours and 49 minutes. Dominic claimed the opening set 6-0, becoming the fourth player who bageled Rafa at Majors and the first who lost that match.
The Austrian was the only player on the court in the opener, taking 24 out of 31 points and blowing the Spaniard off the court in 24 minutes! Thiem was all over Nadal on serve and return, sailing through his service games and keeping the pressure on the other side.
Dominic fired 13 winners and two unforced errors, playing flawless tennis and disarming a great rival. Thiem landed a forehand winner in the encounter's first game for a break at 15. The Austrian moved 2-0 up with an ace and landed a backhand crosscourt winner in the next one to forge a 3-0 advantage.
Dominic clinched the fourth game with four winners and had no intentions of slowing his pace. The Austrian secured another break in game five with a deep return and served for the set after only 20 minutes. Three service winners did the magic for Dominic in game six, wrapping up one of his career-best sets in style and writing history books.