NOT sure how many people sat down and watched the men’s and women’s US Open finals this week.
There may not have been any spectators in the stands, but both matches will go down as two of the great finals.
To see Naomi Osaka and Dominic Thiem come from behind to lift the winners trophy was testament to their fighting spirit.
For Thiem, it was just reward for years of hard work and many close misses, but it once again showed why he is held in such high regard.
After a terrible start and an equally bad bout of nerves, he was able to compose himself to come from two sets down to win his first Grand Slam title on his fourth try.
It was an epic final and Thiem showed world-class resilience in a 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (6) victory over long-time friend Alexander Zverev of Germany.
The third-ranked Thiem made history, winning the first Open final to be decided by a fifth-set tiebreaker and became the first Austrian to win the US title.
He joins Thomas Muster, who won the French Open in 1995, as the only Austrians to win a major tennis championship.
Thiem, of course, is also the first man from any nation to take a major title before no fans, during a pandemic, and in a bubble.
It was through sheer determination that Thiem was able soldier through the toughest test of his career – a match that took 321 points and four hours and one minute to decide.
The emotion ran deep for both men on closing night at the Open.
Nobody needed to remind Thiem that he was 0-for-3 in finals.
Nobody needed to tell either player that 2020 in New York was a prime opportunity to win, with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic getting defaulted in the fourth round for accidentally hitting a linesperson in the throat with a swatted ball.
Osaka was equally as impressive coming from one set down to defeat Victoria Azarenka to win her second US Open.
It showed what a cool character under pressure Osaka is and her 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory capped off an amazing run.
But for me, Thiem’s win typified just how hard it is to win a grand slam title. The 27-year-old is one of the hardest working players on the circuit.
His success is not by chance, it has been a well-planned process which has taken years of work, not just by him, but a whole team.
Tennis is a very individual sport when you are on the court competing, but off it there are many people who contribute to a player’s success.
At the elite level, and for the players who can afford it, sometimes there can be 5-10 people in your team.
Unfortunately, for the up-and-coming players they often can’t afford these support people and need help taking the next step.
But, ultimately, if you want to be the best, you have to be driven, be prepared to put the work in to realise your dream.
Just turning up to play without putting in the preparation won’t get you the results.
There is so little difference in ability between the top 150 players in the world that they are all looking for that small advantage – and that edge comes from the time a player puts in on the practice court or on their fitness.
If you are a young player and have aspirations of making it as a professional tennis player, then I suggest, if you haven’t already, watch Thiem and Osaka and research what they do off the tennis court, you will be amazed at what it takes to reach their standard.
