Dominic Theim recovers to register a sensational win over Novak Djokovic at ATP Finals

In a sensational match that lasted for two hours and 47 minutes, Dominic Thiem recovered from being a set down to defeat Novak Djokovic in the second round of the ATP Finals. Thiem registered a 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(5) win, which sealed his place in the semifinals of the high-profile tournament.

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Phenomenal tennis

The Austrian, who defeated Roger Federer in the first round, was roaring since the start of the match and did not take his foot off the gas pedal for even a second during the match. Thiem took the first set all the way to the tie-breaker, but could not overcome the Serbian in the first set. Even if he was under pressure, he did not show any signs of it and came back stronger in the second set, breaking Djokovic's service right in the Serbian's first game and mounting up a quick and healthy 3-0 lead. 

The proceedings started in a similar manner in the final set, with Thiem running to a 2-0 lead. However, Djokovic was not going to give up easily, and he came back to break Thiem and finally level the scores at 3-3. The two played out the remainder of the set to take it to a tiebreak. The tiebreak saw him go down heavily to 1-4, but a couple of hard-hitting winners later, he recovered and played out the final points to seal himself in the semis.

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After the thriller, Thiem said that his match with Djokovic was really one of these very special matches that he practised all his life and through his childhood for. He said that he was proud of his fighting spirit. He said that he stayed into the match all the time. He also added that it was always something special to come back from a set down; especially if its in the tiebreak, and especially when it’s such a long first set. He continued that he stayed on the offensive all the time for his game even when sometimes it didn’t work out that well for him. But he stuck to his gameplan. He's especially proud as he reached his goal and is in the semifinals.

Djokovic's loss raises the stakes of his clash against Roger Federer considerably, with either one of the two now facing an early exit from the tournament. 

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(With inputs from agencies)