The men's decider at Melbourne Park is now set, as Dominic Thiem books a showdown with seven-time champion Novak Djokovic after beating Alexander Zverev in the semis.
Dominic Thiem has defeated Alexander Zverev to reach his first Australian Open final but he now faces the daunting task of taking down seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in Sunday night's tournament decider.
But the 26-year-old's assignment could not be more difficult, with Djokovic — a 16-time major singles winner —having never lost a final at Melbourne Park.following a straight-sets win over long-time rival Roger Federer on Thursday nightDjokovic is on top in their career head-to-meetings, with a 6-4 record. But Thiem has won their past two encounters at last year's ATP Finals in London and the French Open, where he won their semi-final in a five-setter.
The match could not be described as a classic, with both players piling up the unforced errors, but the high quality of several rallies kept the crowd entertained. Thiem had been on court for almost 15 hours — with Zverev spending fewer than 11 — in the lead-up to the semi-final and he also had to contend with"So it was not easy to recover. But once all the adrenaline came I was fine."Thiem and the 22-year-old Zverev have been at the forefront of the next generation of stars in men's tennis, with both having been tipped for some time to be among those who might break the stranglehold of Nadal, Djokovic and Federer.
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