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Nitto ATP Finals semis are set: Why each remaining player can or can’t win

By Brandon Daniels

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 17: Dominic Thiem of Austria celebrates during his match against Rafael Nadal of Spain during Day 3 of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 Arena on November 17, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by TPN/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 17: Dominic Thiem of Austria celebrates during his match against Rafael Nadal of Spain during Day 3 of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 Arena on November 17, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by TPN/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 19: Dominic Thiem of Austria hits a backhand against Andrey Rublev of Russia during Day 5 of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 Arena on November 19, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by TPN/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 19: Dominic Thiem of Austria hits a backhand against Andrey Rublev of Russia during Day 5 of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 Arena on November 19, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by TPN/Getty Images) /

3. Dominic Thiem

Group record: 2-1 (Tsitsipas 7-6(5) 4-6 6-3, Nadal 7-6(7) 7-6(4),Rublev 2-6 5-7)

Semifinals opponent: Novak Djokovic

Why he’s in a good position to win: He’s been the best of the four so far.

Thiem has enjoyed an extremely solid start to his 2020 campaign. After making the finals last year (losing to Tsitsipas), the World No. 3 is looking to round out his 2020 season with a huge title in London. Indoor hard courts suit his powerful baseline game perfectly and he’s clearly shown it thus far. In what is regarded as the highest quality match of the tournament so far, Thiem smoked 37 winners in his 7-6 7-6 win over Nadal, which pushed his total to 74 winners in his two match victories and 90 for the group stage as a whole (the most in the tournament).

Heading into a battle with Djokovic, I think Thiem should be the favorite not just for this match but for the title, as well. As good as Djokovic is, Thiem has been playing extremely well and only gets better with each winner. It shouldn’t be a huge shock if Thiem takes down the World No. 1 in straight sets.

Why he isn’t: N/A

As I just explained above, Thiem is the most dangerous player still standing and is my personal pick for this event. I don’t see him as any worse than the second-best player remaining.

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