Rafael Nadal, the top-ranked tennis player in the world, was eliminated from the Australian Open as he was defeated by Dominic Thiem on Wednesday night.
In a stunning match at the Rod Laver Arena, the Austrian star, currently ranked world No. 4, secured his first-ever victory against Rafael Nadal with a 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(6) win.
Sharing his thoughts post-match, Dominic Thiem commented, “All the match was on a very good level. We were both in good form,” and went on to express, “He is one of the greatest of all time, so you do sometimes need luck to beat him.”
Thiem also stated, “It will be the first Grand Slam semi-final where I’m the older player,” expressing his joy for Nadal reaching his first semi-final and adding, “We know how to play each other in a Grand Slam. The atmosphere will be so nice. It’s such a nice stadium and I’m looking forward to Friday.”
In the upcoming semi-final match, Dominic Thiem will face Alexander Zverev, while Novak Djokovic will take on Roger Federer on Thursday.