Dominic Thiem believes he is better equipped to handle the pressure of a third consecutive French Open semi-final after thrashing Alexander Zverev on Tuesday.
Austrian Thiem reached the last four at Roland Garros yet again thanks to an emphatic 6-4 6-2 6-1 victory over the second-seeded German on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The seventh seed has yet to appear in the final of a grand slam, but thinks he is in good shape as he prepares to face surprise package Marco Cecchinato - conqueror of Novak Djokovic – next.
Thiem was knocked out by Djokovic in the last four in 2016 before losing to Rafael Nadal at the same stage last year.
"I'm a better player in general, for sure." said the world number eight, who barely put a foot wrong in a one-sided quarter-final.
"There was another year of work where I improved and developed my game. Then, I think this year I'm physically and mentally fresher than I have been the last two years.
"I know how to handle a grand slam now, how to handle getting that deep in such a tournament, and I think everything gets better with experience."
Zverev was hampered by an injury to his left leg picked up early in the first set and Thiem reacted by altering his serving tactics.
"I was hitting wide." he added. “It's not working that good when he's fit, but at this situation it was perfect.
"He was not hitting returns like normal, and I immediately had control of the point, and that's why I was serving that many serves wide."
Comments
SHARE