Seven months ago, Dominic Thiem said it would count more if he won his first Grand Slam with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic still around.
What’s the value of this one?
Thiem, the second-seeded Austrian, rallied past German Alexander Zverev 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the U.S. Open final to become a major champion without having to go through the Big Three. But it was still hard-earned.
Zverev, the 23-year-old face of the next generation, broke Thiem to go up 2-1 in the third set.