Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic congratulate Dominic Thiem for winning US Open; watch video

In a record-setting US Open 2020 final, Dominic Thiem became the first man born in the 1990s to win a Grand Slam singles title. His epic five-set victory over the 23-year old Alexander Zverev is being hailed as a new era for men's tennis; one that many hope will see the rise of a younger generation of players outside of the 'big three'. In a video posted on ATP Tour's Instagram page, tennis legends Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic can be seen praising and congratulating the youngster on his maiden Grand Slam title win. 

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Nadal, Djokovic all praise for US Open champion Dominic Thiem 

The video starts off with current No. 1 Novak Djokovic congratulating Thiem and his family on his performance and lauding the manner in which he fought back despite being two sets down. Djokovic had also posted a congratulatory message for the Austrian after his win, praising him for the sportsmanship he and Zverev displayed after the match. Following this is a message from Rafael Nadal calling Thiem a 'great man' and a 'hard-worker', saying that "if somebody deserved this, it was you." The video also has short messages from Stefanos Tsitsipas and Italian Fabio Fogini. All these players are currently in Rome, where they will be fighting for the ATP 1000 Masters title at the Rome Masters. 

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Thiem's gritty US Open win 

Dominic Thiem has had a long wait in the shadows for an opportunity to win a Grand Slam. He came tantalisingly close on three other occasions - the 2018 French Open, the 2019 French Open and most recently at the 2020 Australian Open. He lost both French Open titles to Rafael Nadal and the Australian Open to Novak Djokovic.

After Djokovic's default at this year's US Open, the path suddenly cleared for Thiem. Going into the tournament, Thiem was seeded second in the absence of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. In all probability, he would've had a finals clash with the World No. 1 against whom he has a head-to-head record of 4-7, in favour of Djokovic. 

Even with Djokovic's absence from the tour, the final was not an easy one for Thiem. He lost the first two sets to fifth seed Alexander Zverev in just about an hour, making 8 double faults through the match. He picked his game up after the second set break and won the remaining three sets to etch his name in US Open history. With this win, Thiem also became the only one apart from Djokovic, Federer and Nadal to have won a Grand Slam in the last 15 years. He will be seen at French Open 2020 next, after choosing to sit out the Rome Masters. 

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Image Credits: Roland Garros Twitter