Rome Masters: Twitter erupts as Domnic Thiem upsets Rafa Nadal

“Revenge is a dish best served cold”

Domnic Thiem would have been tired of seeing Rafa Nadal across the net, tired of losing to him in close matches and tired of trying to work out a way to dislodge the greatest clay courter of all time. Losses can cloud your judgement, force you to think in ways that you wouldn’t normally and sometimes degrade your game in the process. But every once in a while it helps you clear your head, helps you to look at things from a different perspective and helps you to go for it like you have nothing to lose.

Domnic Thiem stepped onto court without any anxiety today, he seemed like a calm man, a man who looked to be free in his approach. The losses hadn’t worn him down, they had rejuvenated him. The skill was always in place, but today the mind followed as well.

Also Read: Why is Novak Djokovic in a buoyant mood before the French Open?

Thiem prevailed in straight sets(6-4, 6-3) playing some scintillating Tennis all through, and most importantly playing those crucial points better. The killer instinct was on display tonight, something that had been missing in the previous two encounters.

Nadal didn’t do much wrong tonight, it was just that Thiem’s directness got the better off him tonight. With such a tight schedule, Nadal probably wouldn’t mind this loss too much. For Thiem this win would do wonders going into the French Open, as beating Nadal on clay is no mean feat.

This is how the world reacted:

https://twitter.com/tumcarayol/status/865600048993890304

https://twitter.com/fedele_giulio/status/865606463124889601

https://twitter.com/DavidLawTennis/status/865601163659419648

https://twitter.com/TrudelSteph/status/865599705656504321

More reactions on the next page:

Major reason for Thiem’s win?

https://twitter.com/morunien/status/865602532361371648