“It’s been a great chapter in my life – now I’m looking forward to everything that’s to come,” Dominic Thiem said as he bid adieu to tennis a couple of months back. However, little did anyone know that the things forward would result in his comeback on the court. Over the years, we have seen many stars overturn their retirement and return to the sport. From Martina Navratilova to Caroline Wozniacki, we have several examples of such players. Former US Open champion, Thiem was the latest star to make it to this list.

The Austrian star was last seen in action on his home soil at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. However, he lost in the opening round there and called it quits soon after. Two months after announcing his retirement, Thiem was quick to make a U-turn on his decision to quit the sport.

The 31-year-old isn’t done yet as he will play in the Open de Caen in France, which is set to take place from December 8 to 11. “Hello everybody. Keep the date for my first participation at the Open de Caen from December 8 to 11. I’ll be there for my first match from Monday 9, see you there,” Thiem announced on social media.

In this exhibition event, Thiem will play against Richard Gasquet. Additionally, the likes of Ugo Humbert and Cameron Norrie are also set to feature in the year-ending event. While it is great news for Thiem’s fans, the official X account of the tournament also put out a heartwarming message for the former US Open champion, as they wrote, “The legend THIEM at the Caen Open! We are very pleased to welcome Dominic Thiem for the first time on our court at the Caen Open.” 

Thiem had to call it quits as he couldn’t get back to his best amid injury troubles. While announcing his retirement, he made a brutally honest confession about the physical nature of the sport.

When Dominic Thiem lamented crude injury setbacks: ‘One part or more parts of the body break down’

Ever since winning the US Open in 2020, it has been a steep downfall for the Austrian star. A major reason for this was his constant injury setbacks due to which he couldn’t perform consistently on the ATP Tour. As a result, he made a saddening confession about the physical aspect of the game while calling it quits in tennis.

Thiem revealed, “I think the way we do the sport, it’s not healthy, and at one point, one part or more parts of the body break down. You can see it with almost every player, there is no player who comes injury-free through their career. That’s just the way of professional sport. And in my case, it was the wrist. It’s not really surprising, because I was obviously using the wrist so much, especially at the forehand, and it was one of my most important parts the last moments before hitting the ball to accelerate a bit more with the wrist.”

Nonetheless, Thiem has decided to be back on the court again and his fans are looking forward to seeing a rejuvenated Thiem with his old mojo back. Can the Austrian star show glimpses of his best form in his comeback tournament? Let us know your views in the comments below.