ATP: Dominic Thiem - Comeback on the hard (South America) tour?
Should Dominic Thiem not take part in the Australian Open, he is facing a relapse in the world rankings. Which would have consequences for participation in the following tournaments.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Dec 24, 2021, 03:15 pm
The signs are growing that Dominic Thiem will not make his long-awaited comeback at the Australian Open 2022. Due to the nomination for the ATP Tour 250 event in Cordoba, which starts immediately after the end of the first major of the season, a trip to Down Under after the cancellation of the ATP Cup and the subsequent 250 in Sydney would probably not be a problem worth.
But should it come to that, Thiem would start his return from a world ranking position around 50. Because the 1,200 points already achieved in 2020 for participation in the finals plus 65 points for the ATP Cup are not counted. At the moment, the 2020 US Open Champion is still in 15th place, as announced by the tournament organizers in South America on social media.
Thiem will initially not be placed
The next big chunk of points that Dominic Thiem drops are only the 360 points for the semi-finals in Madrid. Until then, the 28-year-old has nothing to defend, the first opportunities arise in Cordoba, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. Conveniently on sand, Thiem's preferred run. It would then go on completely unsullied on hard courts in Indian Wells and Miami. Dominic Thiem can only win there. So score.
Small catch: Thiem should get a place in all tournaments he would like to play with his ranking without any problems (in case of doubt, a Grand Slam winner would probably also be given a wildcard), but it will be a seed haired. Which means first of all: No bye in round one. And difficult opponents much earlier than usual in previous years. Which of course also applies the other way around: Who would want to play Dominic Thiem in the second round in Madrid?