Melbourne: Alexander Zverev, who was gunning to became the youngest man in a Grand Slam final since Andy Murray in Mel bourne in 2010, said two-time French Open finalist Thiem was playing some of his best tennis.
“I think he has a chance in the finals, if he’s physically fine. He did play a lot of long matches. But, yeah, we’ll see,” he said. “He’s playing the best tennis of his life. I think he’s playing much better than he played in London (at the ATP Finals), to be honest.”
Thiem knocked out Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals but he will need to lift again to beat Djokovic in the final on Sunday, with the Serb on a 12-match unbeaten streak this season.
Zverev admitted he didn’t play his best at crunch moments Friday and it cost him dearly as he exited the Australian Open after his best ever performance at a Grand Slam. He noted that he had 14 break point chances and only converted five of them. (AFP)
