Thiem's backhand shines early in Halle

Dominic Thiem is well-known for being a clay-court threat, but he has traded in his clay-caked socks for a pair of grass-court shoes. Nine of his 10 career ATP titles have come on clay, making it easy to overlook that he won Stuttgart on grass in 2016.

The world No. 4 has taken his one-handed backhand skills to Halle, Germany where he beat qualifier Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets on Monday.

The 24-year-old took some time off after losing in the French Open final to Rafael Nadal, skipping Stuttgart.

"It was a decent match from my side," Thiem said in Paris. "He was playing very well, I think, and there is a reason why he won 11 times here. It's definitely one of the best things somebody ever achieved in sport. For sure, me, I'm confident that this was not my last Grand Slam finals, and that's my biggest goal, to get into the next one and then to do it better than today."

His one-handed backhand has been a big reason for his success, and is fast becoming his signature shot. Thiem, who started off with two hands on his racquet, recently opening up about changing his backhand as a 12-year-old.

The Austrian is the third seed in the ATP 500 draw that boasts big names like Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev.

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