14/1 Thiem eyes Grand Slam success

World number eight Dominic Thiem (14/1 – 2019 French Open Outright) says he is hungry to break his Grand Slam duck after coming close to landing his maiden title at Roland Garros last year.

Thiem is one of the rising talents in the game and, along with the likes of Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Denis Shapovalov, he is expected to form the next ‘big four’ when Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic call it quits.

Having reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2016 and 2017, the 25-year-old Austrian went one step further last year when making the final of the clay-court tournament.

Although upping his game to reach the showpiece, Thiem was outclassed by Nadal and ended up losing the match in straights sets – 6-4 6-3 6-2.

However, the Lichtenworth-born star feels that experience has done him the world of good and he is now hoping to add a first Grand Slam to his collection this season.

“Playing a Grand Slam final was a dream come true. I didn’t win the title but (reaching the) final was still a great result,” Thiem exclusively told Vorarlberger Nachrichten.

“Honestly, when I started playing tennis, or when I started on the tour, I didn’t think I would one day stand there, on this huge court, against Rafa, on the last day of the tournament.

“It was a great experience and it helped me a lot. It also motivated me to reach more Grand Slam finals – and do better than I did then.”

Thiem disappointingly went out in the second round of the Australian Open in January but will be confident of producing a better run at the French Open in May.

Defending champion Nadal is the 10/11 favourite to retain his crown while Serbia’s Djokovic is 15/8.

Odds subject to change.