Thiem: First Is Foremost vs. Nadal

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Thiem: First Is Foremost vs. Nadal

The last man to beat Rafael Nadal on red clay says first is foremost to conquering the king of clay on dirt.

Dominic Thiem swept Nadal in last month's Madrid quarterfinals, 7-5, 6-3.

Watch: Rafa Nadal Revelations

That victory came a year after Thiem toppled Nadal, 6-4, 6-3, in the 2017 Rome quarterfinals. Thiem is one of the few men in the world with a one-handed backhand to beat both Nadal and Roger Federer on red clay.

The seventh-seeded Austrian says being first is the only way to outlast the 10-time French Open champion on dirt.

"The thing is that against many, many guys you know they have a little drop (off) at one point, but not Rafa," Thiem told Tennis Channel's Jon Wertheim. "It doesn't matter if he plays one hour or five hours, he won't give you one second to breathe.

"Of course that's even tougher to (beat Nadal) best-of-five. That's why I think it's important to win the first set against him. If you don't do it, it's gonna be a long way."

Both of Nadal's Roland Garros losses—to Robin Soderling in the 2009 fourth round and to Novak Djokovic in the 2015 quarterfinals—came after he dropped the first set. Nadal is 7-2 lifetime when losing the opening set in Paris.

Thiem, who will face 72nd-ranked Marco Cecchinato for a spot in the French Open final, has also absorbed severe thrashings from Nadal on dirt.

The 10-time Roland Garros champion crushed Thiem, 6-0, 6-2, in the Monte-Carlo quarterfinals last April and permitted just seven games to the Austrian in the French Open semifinals last year.

Thiem said embracing the challenge and the power of self-belief are vital to achieving the toughest task in tennis.

"There is not only one thing, but the most important is still the belief to win even though it's tough," Thiem said. "It's easy to go in and say you have no chance against him because most of the time it is like that.

"I like to play him. It's the biggest challenge in tennis, one of the biggest challenges in sport. That's why I'm practice, that's why I did this all my life. It's great fun to play him."

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