Dominic Thiem has opened up about the “extremely frustrating” mental battle of facing Rafael Nadal at the French Open, especially the constant reminder of Nadal’s unparalleled dominance at Roland Garros.

With a staggering 22 Grand Slam singles titles to his name, Nadal’s legacy at the French Open is almost mythical. The Spaniard has claimed 14 titles at the iconic venue, spanning from 2005 to 2022, and boasts an incredible 112 match wins, losing only four times. His rare defeats came at the hands of Robin Soderling (2009), Novak Djokovic (2015 and 2021), and Alexander Zverev (2024), cementing his near-invincible status on the Parisian clay.

Among those who have had the daunting task of trying to topple Nadal in Paris is Thiem. The Austrian star has faced Nadal four times at the French Open, suffering losses in the second round in 2014, the semi-finals in 2017, and in back-to-back finals in 2018 and 2019.

However, Thiem revealed that one of the most frustrating parts of preparing for a match against Nadal was the pre-match ritual of hearing the Spanish legend’s illustrious record announced to the crowd. Every time a player takes the court at Roland Garros, their opponent’s tournament history is read aloud, which meant Thiem was constantly reminded of Nadal’s dominance before even stepping foot on the court.

In an interview with Relevo, Thiem admitted how tough it was to deal with that extra psychological burden before facing Nadal. “One of the most frustrating things is when you’re warming up on court just before the match starts,” Thiem said. “You hear the announcer list all of Nadal’s titles and victories… it can be mentally overwhelming knowing you’re up against someone with such a monumental record.”

Despite the mental hurdle, Thiem’s battles with Nadal at the French Open have become a defining part of his career. Even in defeat, the experience of facing one of the greatest players in tennis history at the most prestigious clay court event has left a lasting impression on the Austrian.