Thiem ends 927-day wait for a win in a Grand Slam

It had been 14 consecutive Grand Slams without anyone other than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic emerging as champion. But then, at the 2020 US Open, two of these three greats-Federer and Nadal - remained absent, while Djokovic was disqualified in the fourth round. And so, we went on to get a first-time Major winner in Dominic Thiem.

- Aditya Chaturvedi

There was a wave of optimism in men's tennis at that time as someone from the "next gen" finally broke through. When Thiem lifted the trophy, the Arthur Ashe Stadium - the biggest tennis arena in the world was mostly empty because of Covid-19 restrictions, but there was hope that it was the start of something special.

What followed, however, was a devastating run for the trian. He had spent over five years in the top 10, going as high as No.3 in the rankings, but a career-threatening wrist injury in June 2021 triggered a free fall and he saw his ranking plummet to 352 a year later.

Thiem got to the fourth round at the 2021 Australian Open but from there on, he suffered firstround exits at six Majors. One of the most explosive players of his generation, he kept turning up at tournaments but looked a shadow of his former self.