Dominic Thiem is having a world of trouble trying to get back to his best level, and so far he has fallen far behind. The Austrian tennis player, 29 years old and current number 96 in the world, said goodbye again in the first round of the Rio Open, where he was eliminated at the hands of the Brazilian Thiago Monteiro.
It’s been more than a year since Thiem injured his wrist and he still can’t get back to the version that even led him to win a Grand Slam. “I need time, to find myself again on the bottom line. On this surface, the one who dominates the points from the bottom is the one who wins the match.
The road is taking time, but I don’t stress, I try to do my best on the track, live in the moment, without thinking about what comes next. It will take time to return, but I am working so that there is an evolution, the results will come”, commented the Austrian after his elimination in the ATP 500 of Brazil.
In total Thiem has played four tournaments this season, where he only has one victory. In three of them, including the Australian Open, he was eliminated in the first instance, while only in the Argentina Open did he advance to the second round.
Now he will play again next week and although it has not yet become official, it seems an open secret that the Austrian will play the Acapulco Open again, a contest that he has already won in the past. Led by the Chilean coach Nicolás Massú, The Austrian has tried to recover sensations as soon as possible.
What do you think Dominic Thiem needs to be one of the best players in the world again?
Thiem had a wrist injury during the second half of 2021
In a conversation on the Tennis Channel-Inside In podcast, Chizever reflected on Dominic Thiem’s difficult journey.
“It’s so brutal to watch. I feel so bad and I think, instead of being that negative on Thiem, I think Thiem’s struggle tells you so much about how brutal tennis is,” he said. “I agree [that Thiem will not get back to the top 10 of the ATP rankings ever].
I watched him in Davis Cup and that was indoor tennis. So, it’s not where he wants to be. When he lost to Borna Coric, that’s a fine loss. He lost to Borna Gojo. On paper, not a great loss. When I watched it, it was like, it made sense why he lost,” observed Chizever.