Is Dominic Thiem a new favorite on the 2019 ATP Tour?

Austrian tennis star Dominic Thiem is coming off of a huge win at the 2019 Indian Wells Masters. He is UNDOUBTEDLY someone to watch in the coming months.

Dominic Thiem wins the 2019 Indian Wells Masters, defeating Swiss legend Roger Federer in the finals. The title victory jumps him four places in the men’s singles rankings and puts him one place ahead of Federer. Now the world number four on the ATP Tour, all eyes turn toward Thiem.

Ahead of the Austrian tennis star are three big names. Novak Djokovic remains the player to beat as he is the world number one. Behind him is the King of Clay in Rafael Nadal and then at number three is ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev.

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Last year at the French Open, Thiem finished runner-up to Nadal. As the Spanish superstar is typically the hands down favorite at Roland Garros, his win came as no surprise. Rafa has won an unprecedented 11 titles in men’s singles at the major tournament.

This year could turn out differently at the French Open. Thiem is surging right now and should carry his momentum into the coming months.

It should also be noted that Nadal’s health MUST be brought into question. He is clearly still capable of defeating the best, but he needs to prove that he can sustain his performance throughout an entire tournament.

This year at the Indian Wells Masters, Nadal withdrew prior to his semifinals match with Federer due to a knee injury. Will Rafa return to his usual King of Clay status during the clay court season? If not… players such as Thiem and Zverev can gain ground.

Then of course you have veteran greats like Djokovic and Federer who aren’t going anywhere. Federer typically skips the clay court season but we may see more of him this year. Thiem is poised to take advantage of his place within the ATP Tour’s best after his win at the 2019 Indian Wells Masters.

Stay tuned to see how Dominic Thiem fares in the coming months on the 2019 ATP Tour. He could be a strong pick to make a splash during the clay court season.