Tennis
Thiem began his return to the elite. He is performing well and climbing up the rankings
Two years ago, Dominic Thiem was already ranked third in the ATP tennis rankings and many predicted that he would soon become the world number one. But the Austrian tennis player was slowed down by injury and now has to start from the beginning.
Two years ago, Dominic Thiem was already ranked third in the ATP tennis rankings and many predicted that he would soon become the world number one. But the Austrian tennis player was slowed down by injury and now has to start from the beginning.
Thiem has been very unlucky with his injury. In the summer of 2021, he had to abandon his opening round match at the Mallorca tournament due to a wrist injury. The injury hit him in his prime tennis years, plus it dragged on until April this year.
The return to the ATP circuit was not ideal, as Thiem additionally started after undergoing a coronavirus. It meant a loss to world No. 8 Millman and five more defeats in a row, including one at the French Open Grand Slam.
His first win of the year came in July against compatriot Misolic in Salzburg. At the next event in Bastad, he reached the quarter-finals, where he fell to tournament No. 8 Baez.
It was in Sweden that Thiem began to show that he was serious about returning to the elite. He had a rather tough draw, beating Ruusuvuori and even world number 20 Bautista. It was Baez that he fell out with, and it was a dramatic duel that had to be decided in the final third set.
Thiem’s success in Bastad currently sees him rise 67 places in the ATP rankings. He is now 272nd in the updated rankings, which could be a nice motivation for the Austrian tennis player for the next tournaments. If he continues to perform like this, another move will surely be waiting for him soon.
However, it is also clear that Dominic Thiem’s performances of the last few weeks have not reached the level he was able to hold two years ago. However, with each match his performance is improving and he is getting more and more comfortable. Soon, he could get back to where this talented tennis player realistically belongs.
Sources: ATP, ATP Rankings