I'm kind of finding myself wanting Thiem to win this set, just to extend the match a bit and make it more of a contest (even though I do want Zverev to win). I guess I'm not massively fussed if Zverev wins, because normally I'd be wanting the person to win as soon as they can, regardless.

It's getting better. 6-2 6-4 4-6 3-6, and successive breaks to start the decider.

No shortage of drama in the TB either. 2 DFs from Zverev, Thiem *6-4 up, misses a forehand, Zverev then hits a 68 mph second serve, which just creeps over, and then saves the 2nd MP, but not to be.

Thiem wins 2-6 4-6 6-4 6-3 7-6(6) in just over 4 hours.

Well done Dominic. Really enjoyed those last 2 hours.

I watched the final from start to finish and it was very entertaining for a number of reasons. Zverev playing some fantastic winners and serve volley tactics in the first 2 sets, Thiem finding a way to counter that in the next 2 sets. However overall you have to say that Novak would almost certainly have beaten either of these guys and a fit Roger or Rafa as well. It was more a case of who wouldnt beat themselves rather than the winner in the end.

Im probably not alone in this regard but I can see interest in tennis slipping over the next few years if the likes of Zverev, Thiem, Medvedev, Khacanov are winning slams. The last 15 years certainly spoiled us.

Such a shame a fit Andy Murray wasnt around as well, that slam could just as easy been his. Sadly as we can see Andys days of going deep in slams are over.

indiana wrote:

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While I agree with much of that, Jaggy, I am not so sure about interest particularly slipping.

We will no doubt not have the quality of the past ( and it has been a truly great group of top players to follow ) but if it is competitive, entertaining and unpredictable ( to some extent like the women ), with different personalities, I can still see there being plenty to engage with.  For some folk, possibly even more so than in the latter times of the 'big 3' domination

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 If anyone has been reading the ATP weekly Number ones series, where they do a profile of each number one in ATP history, week by week, it is easy to pinpoint a period when Kafelnikov, Rios, Hewitt, Safin and Kuerten led the pack and shared the number one between them - Magnus Norman, Ferrero also come to mind, through into Moya. None  of them go down as a top 10 great of all time, but all of them where very interesting players and fun and it is quite possible to see the players Jaggy names as become that type of generation once the Big 3/4/5 of today (if we count Murray, Wawrinka) have moved on, which will no doubt be over the next year or two or three...