Dominic Thiem (Relevant Tennis - Twitter)
Former World No.3 Dominic Thiem made it to the finals of the Australian Open in 2020
Austrian tennis star Dominic Thiem is currently in Australia and participated in the Adelaide International, a warm-up event leading to the first Grand Slam of the year. Unfortunately, Thiem lost in the very first round 4-6, 1-6 to number one seed S. Kwon from South Korea. Thiem has received a wildcard entry to the Australian Open, which is scheduled to begin on January 16.
Thiem is currently ranked no. 102 in the world but received a wildcard entry to the main round based on his past exploits in the tournament. The Austrian has enjoyed considerable success at Melbourne Park including his incredible run to the finals of the 2020 edition which saw him beat top seed Rafael Nadal. Thiem holds a 19-8 record at the Australian Open and has advanced to at least the Round of 16 in four of his past five appearances.
Thiem is one of the three players to receive a direct wildcard entry to the main round, the other two being Christopher Eubanks and Luca Van Assche.
Dominic Thiem was inactive on the ATP tour from June 2021 to March 2022. His last event before his comeback was at Mallorca when he sustained a right wrist which put him out for the rest of the season. The Austrian attempted to begin his 2022 season afresh in Cordoba but suffered a separate right finger issue involving a strained ligament. Thiem then delayed his return further by withdrawing from the two ATP-1000 events – Indian Wells and Miami Open in favour of making a return on his preferred clay surface.
However, his plans were hampered after he tested positive for covid-19 last week. He recovered in time for the Serbia Open but clearly looked out of rhythm and touched and succumbed to a disappointing loss. He then had a commendable run towards the end of 2022 which saw him reach the quarterfinals in Bastad, the semifinals in Gstaad and followed it up with another semi-final appearance at the Swiss Open.
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