The 3 players that are next in line to dominate the tennis world

Dominic Thiem (Austria)

I’ve discussed before why Dominic Thiem is going to be the face of men’s tennis once the Big 3 retire. Out of all of the young players in men’s tennis, Thiem has certainly put together the best resume out of the group. He’s currently ranked 3rd in the world, behind Djokovic and Nadal, but ahead of Federer. He’s won 16 titles since 2015, including 5 in 2019. He’s reached 3 Grand Slam Finals and is widely regarded as the clear-cut “next in line”.

Thiem’s trademark in his game is his one-handed backhand. It almost resembles a bullet as it crosses the net and is one of the best groundstrokes in men’s tennis. Thiem’s ability to play on clay is incredible and is easily one of the best on Tour, rivaled only by the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. Thiem has consistently shown that he can best the top players on tour. He has 4 wins against Nadal and Djokovic in their last ten matches (including 4 out of the last 6 against Djokovic), as well as 5 wins against Federer in 7 attempts (and the last 3 in a row).

Thiem’s ability to best the top players is something that shouldn’t be taken for granted; it puts him in a class of his own to succeed the Big 3 at the top of men’s tennis. Given that he’s already surpassed 1 of the 3 and has emerged as the others’ top rival, it’s safe to say that Thiem isn’t going anywhere but up moving forward.