Published 17:53 IST, February 1st 2020
Australian Open: Dominic Thiem's sportsmanship vs Alexander Zverev in semis wins Twitter
Australian Open: Thiem himself gave away a point to Zverev midway through the third set. He asked his opponent to challenge a wrong call by the linesman.
The Australian Open 2020 final will witness defending champion Novak Djokovic take on 5th seed Dominic Thiem. On Friday, Dominic Thiem produced an amazing performance to defeat Alexander Zverev 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6. This will be the Austrian's third appearance in a Grand Slam final. He has previously reached the finals at Roland Garros twice. Unfortunately for him, he lost to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.
Australian Open: Dominic Thiem's sportsmanship spirit
Apart from his brilliant performance on the court, Thiem will be remembered by the fans for his sporting gesture during the semi-final game against Zverev. Thiem himself gave away a point to Zverev midway through the third set of the match. The 5th seed asked his German opponent that he should challenge an incorrect call. One of Zverev's shot was ruled out by the linesman. Thiem yelled out to him and let him know that he should challenge the call.
The German star did just that and replays showed that the ball had caught the line.
Australian Open: Here's how fans reacted to Dominic Thiem's act
Australian Open: Novak Djokovic vs Dominic Thiem
While Dominic Thiem will be looking to win his maiden Grand Slam title, Novak Djokovic will look to lift his eighth Australian Open title. If Novak Djokovic does win the title in Melbourne, it will be his 17th major title. It will get him closer to Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal’s (19) tally.
Updated 17:53 IST, February 1st 2020