Dominic Thiem toppled world No. 1 Novak Djokovic snapping the Serbian's 26-match major winning streak to reach his second straight Roland Garros final today.
Nicolas Massu, Thiem's coach, believes the fourth-ranked Austrian can succeed Djokovic as No. 1 next year.
Two-time Olympic gold-medal champion Massu says Thiem has the mental strength, physical stamina, athleticism, serve and heavy groundstrokes necessary to rise to the top of tennis.
"Mentally, I must say, he has improved a lot," Massu told the media in Paris after Thiem's semifinal win. "He is remaining very strong, and his ultimate results have shown that. He hits tremendously. He has great strokes. And he's 25.
"I believe there is the mix of youth and the great results he's had, which have given him some experience. So I believe he could be at the top of tennis next year."
The 25-year-old Thiem defeated 11-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal on his home turf en route to the Barcelona title in April. Thiem has beaten Nadal on clay every year for four consecutive years joining Djokovic as one of two active players with four clay-court wins vs the king of clay.
Thiem struggled to a 3-4 start to the season then hired Massu. In their first tournament together, Thiem topped Roger Federer to win his first Masters title in Indian Wells. Since joining forces with Massu, Thiem has posted a 20-4 record and his coach believes his past success vs. Nadal will be an asset in the final.
"Well, having won several times against him on this surface can give you confidence," Massu said of Thiem. "Not many people have done it. Dominic is one of them.
"This happened to me when I was playing, and it happens to any player when you get a victory against a player or you have had a positive result. You can face the situation with more confidence. On the other hand, Rafa is an incredible player, and I think many years will pass before anyone can surpass him.
"But, you know, you play tennis, and you play the sport to look for situations like this. Dominic has been training since he was a child to look for these challenges. What best challenge can you hope for when you like clay than to play a final in the French Open? But how can he face the finals tomorrow? Try to play his game, try to play his own tennis."
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