Grigor Dimitrov and Marin Cilic, who have both reached the semi-finals at the Foro Italico, got off to winning starts on Monday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Dimitrov, the No. 15 seed and 2014 semi-finalist, proved to be too strong for Italian wild card Gianluca Mager 7-5, 6-1 in 74 minutes. From 5-5 in the first set, Dimitrov won seven straight games for his 10th victory of the season. He awaits the winner of Yoshihito Nishioka and Miomir Kecmanovic, who lifted his first ATP Tour title at the Generali Open on Sunday.

Cilic, who lost to Alexander Zverev in the Rome semi-finals two years ago, worked hard to beat Alexander Bublik 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4 in two hours and 14 minutes for a place in the second round.

Cilic could not convert a set point on Bublik’s serve at 4-5, 30/40 and subsequently saved four break points in his next service game. Cilic broke in the first and seventh games of the second set, and moved clear early in the decider to set up a clash against sixth seed David Goffin.

Novak Djokovic played an epic five-setter in this year’s Australian Open final to lift his 17th Grand Slam trophy. That victory came at Dominic Thiem’s expense, sending the Austrian to 0-3 in major finals. The Serbian was pleased to see the 27-year-old finally break through at a Slam on Sunday evening by winning the US Open.

“Dominic deserves this title probably more than anybody. He’s such a nice guy, and he works extremely hard. He was so close in the past couple of years and finally he has it,” Djokovic said. “It would be interesting to see how his career goes on from here, but it’s a huge relief.”

Thiem echoed those sentiments after his five-set victory against Alexander Zverev, adding that he believes he will play even freer at the biggest tournaments now. Djokovic recalls how he felt after winning his first major at the 2008 Australian Open.

“I remember my first Grand Slam title, obviously getting that first monkey out of your back, in a way, to say it’s a huge relief. After that you start believing in yourself much more and feeling maybe a bit less pressure and expectations from yourself to win Slams,” Djokovic said. “Both of these guys possess a huge tennis quality on all surfaces to win titles and Grand Slams. We have Roland Garros coming in a couple weeks’ time, and Dominic is right behind Rafa, on clay [as] the favourite to go all the way.”

Djokovic watched the first four sets of the US Open final. One of the things he was most impressed by was the respect Thiem and Zverev, who are good friends, showed each other inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“We all know that they are good friends and you could see how much they wanted to win, of course, [the] final of a Slam. They both were fighting for the first Grand Slam title and both of them were bringing a lot of intensity on the court, but never disrespecting each other,” Djokovic said. “That struck me the most, to be honest, the appreciation, respect, and friendship that they showed. I think it’s a great message to all of the tennis players and the sports world in general.”

Overall, the World No. 1 was happy to see both men competing under the spotlight in the final of a Grand Slam.

“I want to congratulate both of these guys. I want to congratulate them, of course, for their achievements. To get to the final for Sascha for the first time and to play for two-and-a-half sets the way he played was really impressive, and he was very close to winning it. Then again, he served for the match in the fifth,” Djokovic said. “For Dominic to lose three finals and start the match not on a very high level but then come back and win in such fashion is very inspiring, and they deserve a lot of credit.”

Djokovic is the top seed at this week’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, where he is a four-time champion. It is an extra-special week for the Serbian, who on Monday tied Pete Sampras for the second-most weeks (286) as the No. 1 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

The 33-year-old admitted that the quick post-US Open turnaround to clay has been “unusual”, but he is thankful to have opportunities to play during these unprecedented times. He believes that the clay favourite is clear.

“Rafa obviously decided to stay on clay and practise. Surely that gives him more advantage, but even if he didn’t practise for that long on clay, he would still be the number one favorite [at] Roland Garros or any other clay tournament because he’s Rafa,” Djokovic said. “Playing on clay, he’s the ultimate challenge.

“But for most of the other guys, of course, it’s going to be [an] adjustment challenge [to see] how quickly can we adapt, how quickly can we adjust to this new surface. Let’s see. I did have four or five days of training, coming here, couple more days of training before my first match. I think it is sufficient. But let’s see on the court.”

Rafael Nadal is excited to be back on the ATP Tour in Rome, where he will be attempting to capture a 10th title this week at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

“Rome is always exciting,” said Nadal, via a virtual press conference on Monday. “It’s one of the most important events in the world, without a doubt. And at the same time, of course, it will not be the same with no crowd and, being in the bubble, not being able to enjoy a little bit the city. But at least we have a tennis tournament here in Rome. That’s positive and I happy for that.”

Nadal arrived on Wednesday in Rome, for the second of three ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in 2020. He is scheduled to play Pablo Carreno Busta in his first match at the Foro Italico.

“I arrived in plenty of time to try and have the right practices,” said Nadal, who hasn’t competed since 29 February due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. “You need matches to feel 100 per cent… I’m excited about going back to competition, without big expectations. I know I have a tough first [match] against Pablo. He’s playing great. So let’s see, it’s going to be a good test.

“[My] expectation is to always go on court and try to feel competitive. That’s the first goal. Go on court, feel [that I’m] competitive, and then I will see how I feel and what kind of goals I can look for.”

The 33-year-old, who captured the 85th trophy of his career at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC (d. Fritz) in February, admitted that he had watched the first four sets of Sunday’s US Open final between Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev.

“I’m happy for Dominic,” said Nadal, who defeated Thiem in the 2018 and 2019 Roland Garros finals. “He’s somebody who deserves to win a big title. He’s a super hard worker. Very focused on his goals. [A] good person, [a] good human person. He deserves it.

“[I’m] sorry for Sascha. He was close, but in some ways, I think even if Sascha played a great final for moments, I think that the road to that final from Dominic was a little bit more solid… Sascha will have probably more chances in the future.”

Daniil Medvedev has become the fourth singles player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 15-22 November. He joins Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem as the tournament marks the 50th anniversary of its inception in 1970.

Medvedev, who competed at the season finale last year for the first time, went 4-1 for Team Russia at the inaugural ATP Cup in January and reached the US Open semi-finals (l. to Thiem) last week. He is the first Russian to qualify in consecutive years since 2009 Nitto ATP Finals champion Nikolay Davydenko (2005-2009).

Reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas is next in line to qualify at No. 6 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Alexander Zverev, who lost to Thiem in his first Grand Slam championship final at the US Open on Sunday, is also in contention to return to The O2 in London. Two years ago, Zverev became the first German titlist at the year-end championship since Boris Becker in 1995.

Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares have joined Australian Open winners Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in the 2020 doubles field after picking up their first major team trophy at the US Open (d. Koolhof/Mektic).

In line with existing UK Government guidance, the ATP currently plans to hold the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals behind closed doors due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Nitto ATP Finals, featuring the best eight singles players and doubles teams, has been held in London since 2009 and has successfully established itself as one of the major annual sporting events worldwide. The tournament is broadcast in more than 180 territories with global viewership reaching an average of 95 million each year. The event will be held in Turin, Italy, from 2021-2025.

Dominic Thiem fell on his back inside Arthur Ashe Stadium at 8:19 p.m. Sunday evening. After a wild four hours and one minute of back-and-forth action in the US Open final, the Austrian briefly stared up into the New York night before covering his face with his hands for five seconds. The Austrian was in disbelief. He had finally accomplished his lifelong dream of winning a Grand Slam title.

“It was such a big relief,” said Thiem, who rallied past Alexander Zverev 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(6). “It’s just the highest thing [that] you can achieve in tennis.”

The second seed became the first player in the Open Era to overcome a two-set deficit in the US Open final, battling from the brink of defeat on numerous occasions and overcoming visible cramping towards the end of the fifth set. In the end it didn’t matter how he did it. Thiem was just thrilled he made his dream come true.

“I achieved a life goal, a dream [for] myself, which I had for many, many years. Of course [I had that dream] as a kid as well when I started to play tennis. But back then it was so far away,” Thiem said. “At one point I realised that, ‘Wow, maybe one day I can really win one of the four biggest titles in tennis.’ I put a lot of work in. I dedicated basically my whole life until this point to win one of the four majors. Now I did it.”

Dominic Thiem” />

Thiem was desperate to lift a major trophy. Three times previously he had reached the final of a Grand Slam and fallen short. He entered Sunday’s US Open championship match as the favourite for the first time. The Austrian was so agonisingly close to achieving his biggest goal. That made it even more difficult for him to win.

“Maybe it was not even good that I played in previous major finals,” Thiem said.

Nobody on the ATP Tour swings freer than Thiem. The Austrian is known for his massive groundstrokes and incredible shotmaking. If there’s one player who doesn’t get cheated when he swings, it’s Thiem.

But in the biggest match of his career, the 27-year-old’s loose swings were restricted. The more Thiem wanted the trophy, the tighter he got.

“I wanted this title so much and of course [it] was also in my head that if I lost this one, it’s 0-4 [in major finals],” Thiem said. “It’s always in your head: ‘Is this chance ever coming back again?’ This, that, all these thoughts, which are not great to play your best tennis, to play free.”

When Zverev broke in the third set to move close to victory, it was a tough moment for Thiem. His dream was slipping away. But he never gave up hope.

“It was tough to stay there and to still believe. But I did. It’s a Slam final,” Thiem said. “I always had hope and the expectation that at one point I’d free up. Luckily it was not too late when I broke him back in the third set. The belief was always there. From that moment, when I broke him back for [2-2] in the third set, the belief got stronger and stronger.”

Full credit goes to Zverev for playing some of his best tennis to put Thiem in a deep hole. The Austrian expected an “open match” when he walked on court. Despite leading their ATP Head2Head series 7-2, Thiem knew he was facing a tough foe. Even after turning around the match and leading by a break in the fifth set, the second seed couldn’t run away with it. Zverev refused to go down without a fight.

It was ironic that Thiem, who is known for his cannon-like one-handed backhand, which he launches both cross-court and down the line, physically couldn’t use that shot down the stretch. With his legs almost gone, Thiem holstered that weapon and often used his slice to avoid swinging himself out of the match.

“The belief in myself [was] not enough because Sascha, I’m sure he believed himself as well 100 per cent,” Thiem said. “Two guys like that played a match against each other. That’s obviously how it finished, in a fifth-set tie-break.”

When Thiem is at his soaring best, he is capable of taking the match to anyone in the world. Now that he has finally made his dream come true, the Austrian believes he’ll be able to perform at an even higher level.

“I expect that it’s going to be easier for me now in the biggest tournaments because, of course, I had it in the back of my head that I had a great career so far, way better career than I could ever dreamt of. But until today there was still a big part, a big goal missing,” Thiem said. “With this goal achieved, I think and I hope that I’m going to be a little bit more relaxed and play a little bit more freely at the biggest events.”

No matter what happens in the future, Thiem will never forget this moment. His body nor a game opponent were able to stop him. Nobody will ever be able to take away Thiem’s Grand Slam trophy.

“It was the first time [in] years and years that I was cramping. But I guess it was not physical cramps, it was mentally. I was super, super tight the whole day actually and then in the beginning of the match,” Thiem said. “Somehow the belief today was stronger than the body and I’m super happy about that.”

Fifth seed Alexander Zverev got off to a perfect start on Sunday in the US Open final, sprinting to a 6-2, 6-4 lead against second seed Dominic Thiem as both men pursue their first Grand Slam title.

In 25 of the past 27 years, the player who took the opening set has gone on to lift the title in New York. The winner of this match will become the 55th Grand Slam champion of the Open Era and the 150th of all time.

Zverev, 23, looks to become the youngest Grand Slam winner since Juan Martin del Potro (20) at the 2009 US Open. A win would also make him the first German winner of a major championship since Boris Becker at the 1996 Australian Open. He seeks his first title in 15 months (2019 Geneva) and only his second since winning the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals.

Showtime. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/ZmWZtgU55V

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 13, 2020

Thiem saved a break point in the opening game with a big inside-out forehand, but a nervy service game at 1-1 saw him hand a break to Zverev with a double fault and pair of baseline errors. He only landed 37 per cent of first serves throughout the opening set and gave Zverev numerous opportunities to get on top of rallies. Thiem won just 29 per cent (5/17) of his second-serve points.

Zverev avoided the slow starts he had in his past two matches, cracking his groundstrokes with authority and racking up 16 winners to just six unforced errors. The ball toss issues he had at times throughout the tournament were also non-existent. Zverev landed 68 per cent of his first serves and won all but one point behind that delivery (12/13). The fifth seed scored an insurance break at 4-2 and required just 45 seconds to serve out the opening set.

Thiem’s struggles continued in the second set. Zverev rifled a down-the-line forehand winner at 1-1 to set up break point and converted when Thiem sent a routine forehand long. He hadn’t dropped serve more than twice in a match en route to the final, but was broken in three of his first five service games.

The German also took advantage of his opponent standing well behind the baseline to return by serving-and-volleying on several occasions. Even when Thiem put the return in play, Zverev only needed to hit a solid mid-court volley to end the point.

Zverev scored an insurance break at 3-1 as Thiem hit another forehand long. But nerves crept in as the 23-year-old attempted to close out the set. Thiem bravely saved three set points at 1-5 to hold serve, then Zverev failed to convert a fourth set point when he sent an easy forehand volley wide. The missed opportunity enabled Thiem to eventually score his first break of the match.

Although Thiem’s confidence grew and he began to find his top form, Zverev served out the set on his second attempt, striking a down-the-line backhand on his fifth set point. He significantly outnumbered Thiem in winners after the first two sets (24 to 12) while also hitting fewer unforced errors (20 to 21).

Zverev trails Thiem 2-7 in their ATP Head2Head series and has lost their past three matches, including a four-set defeat in this year’s Australian Open semi-finals.