- Austrian comes back from two sets down to claim first major
- No2 seed wins 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 at Flushing Meadows
- As it happened: Bryan Graham’s game-by-game report
Novak Djokovic may still be the best player in men’s tennis but, in the self-inflicted absence of the world No1, Dominic Thiem, 27, can fairly lay claim to be leading the charge of the new wave of contenders after beating 23-year-old Alexander Zverev to win the 2020 US Open on Sunday evening.
Djokovic, 33, is waiting with 34-year-old Rafael Nadal for these impatient arrivistes to show up on the clay of Rome this week (Roger Federer remains at home resting his 39-year-old knees), and beyond that lies Roland Garros, the postponed and final slam of a disjointed, crazy season. Whatever Federer and Serena Williams believe, age is not just a number; it’s a pain in the backside.