MELBOURNE — That sound you heard Sunday night in Melbourne? It was scarcely audible over the onomatopoetic pop of Dominic Thiem’s relentless ballstriking or the squeak of his shoes on court. It was the sound of glass starting to crack. After 15 years of exclusionary excellence—after three years of three players hoarding the last 12 Majors—a new figure was about to crash through and break into the C-suite. The first player born in 1990s, Thiem was finally there to win a big title.
And…not so fast, son. These pillars don’t yield easily. The glass ceiling may be cracked, but it's unshattered.