Austrian ace Dominic Thiem is inarguably one of the most talented players on the ATP Tour. Over the years, he has established himself as the successor of the big three: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Not to forget his maiden Grand Slam title at US Open 2020, which showed a glimpse of a promising future for tennis. But by a twist of fate, his 2021 season has turned out to be a nightmare.
At first, the 28-year-old faced motivation issues after the Australian Open and Dubai loss and announced a break from the sport. Following his return, Thiem struggled to find his rhythm. But just when he finally began feeling like his old self on the court, a wrist injury ruined his party.
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Consequently, Thiem missed the 2021 Wimbledon Championship and the US Open this year. But now, for the first time in a while, he has begun training. Moreover, he also revealed his probable return date on the ATP Tour.
Dominic Thiem starts training, reveals return date before Australian Open 2022
In a press conference, Thiem announced he has started training with minimum time. However, he is looking forward to pumping up his training sessions from the start of November.
“I have to fight my way back step by step. Today I hit ten minutes with a softball, tomorrow maybe 15,” Thiem said. (All quotes are translated from German to English via Google Translate).
Due to his injury, the Austrian ace had to call off his 2021 season. And even though he has begun recovering, competitive tennis for him is a thing of the future.
Although, Thiem revealed he would probably come back in the middle of December for an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi. Let’s see if he gets ready by then.
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Dominic Thiem’s 2021 season
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At the Australian Open 2021, Thiem defeated Nick Kyrgios from two sets down. Indeed, it was one of the best comeback matches on the tennis tour. But since then, the Austrian did not find his A-game again.
Most significantly, the two-time Roland-Garros finalist lost in the opening round for the first time in his career. Shockingly, he concluded his season with a 9-9 win-loss record.
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Hopefully, Thiem will get past this hurdle and come back with nothing but positive energy. Only time will tell if he can get back to the top again.
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