In an unusual U.S. Open, the men’s final will bring something different: A new champion

First, there was the event a comfortable 10-minute ride from his home in Austria, at the facility where he trained growing up. Then came expansion — a pair of events played amid face masks and disinfectant in Berlin, one on grass and one on hard court (he won both), then participation in Novak Djokovic’s ill-fated Adria Tour in Serbia (he apologized after multiple players tested positive).

He accumulated 28 matches in all, and for Thiem, it felt fitting. Reared on clay courts, the U.S. Open finalist prefers building points on slower surfaces to the boom-crack of power tennis. He is fit enough to hang even with Rafael Nadal in the most laborious of rallies. It is in his nature to work.

“I mean, I stayed home before for two months and that was enough, I guess, and I was ready to compete again,” Thiem said last month. “There were chances coming up with these exhibitions, so I took it.”

Thiem’s years of hard work might finally pay off Sunday in New York when he plays in his first U.S. Open final against his good friend Alexander Zverev, after which men’s tennis will have a new major champion for the first time since Marin Cilic won his lone title in New York in 2014.

It will be Thiem’s fourth time playing for a Grand Slam championship, but the first time he won’t be staring across the net at a titan in his domain.

Sunday, he will face Zverev. Things will be different.

A lanky, 23-year-old German born to two Russian tennis coaches, seventh-ranked Zverev has dragged his feet through four four-set matches, one straight-sets win and a grueling, five-set semifinal against Pablo Carreno Busta and emerged brimming with confidence at his ability to survive. He has spent almost four more hours on court than Thiem this U.S. Open, who won all but one of his matches in three sets.

Unlike Thiem, this is the first time Zverev has broken through to a major final after teasing tennis for years with great accomplishments outside of the Grand Slams — three years ago, he became the youngest top 20 player since Djokovic.

“I’m looking forward to it. Yeah, I’m in the final of a Grand Slam. The two best players in the world are going to be playing on court,” said Zverev, with self-assurance perhaps required for such success so young.

He presents a two-pronged challenge to Thiem on Sunday.

First, there is the matter of Zverev’s serve, which has often been shaky during the U.S. Open, as evidenced by his tournament-leading 49 double faults, but can be deadly, as evidenced by his tournament-leading 116 aces. Thiem said Friday his returns would be the most important aspect of his game Sunday, and at least in that regard, he can take solace knowing he’s won a, yes, tournament-leading 40 percent of his return games.

Then there is the matter of the pressure.

Thiem will be the overwhelming favorite for the first time at a major final, something he said won’t change his preparation for the match even if it can’t help but change the stakes.

“I know what Sascha is capable of … he’s a hell of a player. One of the greatest ones in last years. Won all titles besides a major,” Thiem said. “He will also try everything he’s capable of doing to win the title. It’s going to be a super difficult match.”

Difficult, yes, but Thiem’s best chance at a Grand Slam title thus far. Thiem can thrive in difficult situations.

Workmanlike to his core, the 27-year-old has a way of grinding down compelling matchups. He ran through a heady lineup of Cilic, the exciting up-and-comer Félix Auger-Aliassime, the Australian roadrunner Alex de Minaur and the equally laser focused — and talented — Daniil Medvedev on the way to the final. Only Cilic, the former champion in New York, took a set off him.

Along the way, Thiem became the first Austrian player to reach a U.S. Open semifinal. Should he win Sunday, Thiem will be the second Austrian to win a Grand Slam title, after Thomas Muster triumphed at the 1995 French Open.

A major championship would have global resonance. Thiem would be the only man under 30 with a Grand Slam title to his name, the first of promising generation to break through.

Thiem got close once before, in Australia this year when he pushed Djokovic to five sets before falling. He sensed he was nibbling at the heels of Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer then — or at least as close as he had ever been.

Some seven months, 28 exhibition matches and six U.S. Open wins later, he is poised for a breakthrough once again.

“I was very close to [the Big Three] before the break, with the five-set loss in the finals of the Australian Open,” Thiem said last month. “I guess, or I hope, that not that much changed.”