He knows very well what it is to play a Grand Slam final , and he also knows more than good what it is to lose it. It happened twice with Rafael Nadal in the definition of Roland Garros , a motivation for Dominic Thiem , who after defeating German Alexander Zverev today will seek to shake the empire of metallic Novak Djokovic on Sunday.

Thiem, owner of a tennis of exceptional beauty, beat Zverev 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) and 7-6 (7-4). If he wins on Sunday, a piece of information will be enough to give him an idea of ​​the watershed that could mean that: he would be the first man born in the '90s to conquer a Grand Slam. The same will be said the day that Zverev wins, barely 22 years old today.

"What's wrong with the tie breaks? " John McEnroe asked after the game to Thiem. Question more than reasonable, because the Austrian won the three he played against Nadal and added two more today with Zverev. "The tie breaks are always 50 and 50, I lost the first one I played in this tournament," he replied modestly.

Austrian tennis has as little as the territory of the country 's own history, but there is a name whose echo still resonates, that of Thomas Muster, French Open champion and 1995 world number one for a few months.

Thiem, however, has a tennis several galaxies superior to that of that left-handed man with Terminator's gesture that every year made good skewers of titles on clay. No, the new Austrian who speaks in tennis owns a very powerful right, a setback to a fabulous hand for ductility and power, an important service and, this season, a chiseled physique that endures what they throw . A whole Nadal for four hours and ten minutes in the quarterfinals, for example.

On a day when the thermometers in Melbourne marked 43 degrees , the humid and hot environment, the night lights and the excitement of the public gave the entrance of Thiem and Zverev to the Rod Laver Arena an air of travel to the future, to A near future. The two and the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas seem destined to form the trio that occupies the place that the virtuous Federer, Nadal and Djokovic defend with nails and teeth.

"It's almost unreal, I'm in the final of the Australian Open. And today winning two tie breaks against Sascha ... It's almost impossible to break the service," said the finalist, who faced a player who hit more than 80 percent. of his first services. " I had some problems in the first set , I think we were both nervous with our first semifinal here. And 5-4 in the second set was key, because I had to save several break points," Thiem analyzed.

Trained by the Chilean Nicolás Massú , Thiem had a hard time finding his game, so I don't miss him losing the first set 6-3. After the roof was closed because allover had started, the Austrian solved the second sleeve with an ace, a 6-4 after a game of wonderful points on both sides.

The match was interrupted again at the start of the third set, with Zverev 1-0 ahead, by a spotlight that melted. Instead of pouting, the two protagonists of the night enjoyed the "karaoke" that was improvised in the stadium during the ten minute break.

The pause did not prevent the continuation of seeing notable points. The reverse of Thiem, which shines both cross and parallel, allows geometries and choreographies that are seen in a few games. It also happens, for example, when the Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka plays, defeated by Zverev in the previous round.

Thiem went 3-1 in the third set, but Zverev recovered to take a 4-3 lead. Shortly after, the German had set point with the Austrian taking 4-5. There were two: Thiem saved the first with a parallel setback and the second with a crossed right. It was 5-5, the game was very empathetic and the next few minutes would be vital to determine who would reach the final on Sunday.

Nothing better than a tie break to define a tie, and, for Thiem, nothing better than a splendid cross setback at the time of sealing the 7-3 and taking an absolutely vital third set, given the oscillating development of the night.

The fourth set was exciting , and ended up where it was expected to do it: in a tie break. There were lucid points and there was drama, but the game was slipping towards Thiem's ​​pocket. Djokovic, responsible for continuing to block that door that holds the combined weight of Federer and Nadal , this Sunday has a major challenge.

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