Dominic Thiem Reveals Untold Rafael Nadal French Open Story

Paris — For two consecutive Junes, Dominic Thiem walked into Court Philippe-Chatrier knowing the draw had funneled him toward the same immovable obstacle: Rafael Nadal. The Austrian, now retired, finally unpacked a locker-room anecdote from their 2019 championship clash that he had kept under wraps while still on tour.

Thiem, speaking on the “More Than A Name” podcast, recalled the surge of belief that coursed through him after a straight-set win over Nadal in the Barcelona semifinals five weeks prior to Roland-Garros. “I was beating him four and four,” Thiem said. “Not even my best tennis, but it gave me a lot of confidence.”

That conviction crystallized when he toppled Novak Djokovic in a five-set semifinal two days before the final. “I was really convinced that I could beat Rafa,” Thiem said. “That was my mindset throughout the hours before the finals.”

Yet something shifted in the bowels of the stadium on the afternoon of the match. Thiem had finished lunch and was preparing when Nadal re-entered the players’ area. “He had those headphones locked onto whatever playlist gets players tuned into matches—looking intensely dialled-in,” Thiem remembered. “Let’s say things didn’t feel quite like Spain anymore.”

From the opening ball, Nadal’s level ratcheted beyond anything Thiem had encountered in Barcelona. Although the Austrian captured the second set 7-5, the Spaniard reeled off the final two sets for the loss of just two games, sealing a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 victory and his 12th Coupe des Mousquetaires.

“The level he played in the 2019 finals was ridiculously high,” Thiem said. “There he showed that when he’s at his best, he’s invincible in Roland Garros.”

The loss capped back-to-back final defeats to Nadal for Thiem, who had fallen in straight sets in 2018. Across those two showpiece matches, Nadal lost only three sets, reaffirming a dominance that ultimately yielded 14 French Open titles—more than any man has collected at a single major.

Thiem, now reflecting from retirement, believes Nadal’s mental switch flips the moment he arrives in the French capital. “Once he came to the French Open, he had a different mindset than all the other tournaments,” Thiem said. “That’s what made him nearly untouchable on that court.”