Former world No. 3 Dominic Thiem appears to be happy with the progress he is making and noted that he is willing to play the Australian Open qualifying if necessary. Thiem, who is now the 173rd-ranked player in the world, returned to tennis in late March following a 10-month absence caused by a wrist injury.
Six months have passed since Thiem made his return and he is yet to rediscover his top game. “If necessary, I will play the qualifying event of the Australian Open. I am competitive again. I have to release the handbrake, make the right decisions in pressure situations.
You have to relearn that after such a long break. The ups and downs should be fewer, the level of concentration should be maintained longer. In any case, my backhand is formidable again, the serve works, there is potential for improvement in the forehand and the return.
Right now, I give myself a maximum score of seven out of ten,” Thiem told Der Standard, as revealed by We Love Tennis.
Thiem competed at the inaugural Tel Aviv Open
This week, Thiem was among participants at the inaugural Tel Aviv Open.
Thiem made a positive start to his campaign in Tel Aviv as he defeated Laslo Djere to progress into the round-of-16. In his next match, Thiem clashed against 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic. Thiem got off to a good start to his Tel Aviv round-of-16 match, but Cilic recovered from a set down to win 6-7 (6) 6-2 6-4.
Thiem suffered back-to-back round-of-16 defeats, having lost in the Metz round-of-16 a week earlier as well. Two weeks ago at the Rennes Challenger, Thiem ended runner-up in the final to Ugo Humbert. Had Thiem defeated Humbert in the Rennes final, that would have been his first title since the 2020 US Open. It remains to be seen if Thiem can reach another final before the season ends.