Dominic Thiem is not in the main draw of the Australian Open at the moment
After the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, Dominic Thiem was certain that he would have a place in the main draw of the Australian Open. There is currently no more talk of this.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Dec 06, 2022, 03:48 pm
Dominic Thiem's last match in the 2022 ATP season is certainly still well remembered by Austrian tennis fans: Thiem lost in two sets to the later champion Daniil Medvedev in the round of 16 of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, but still drew a positive conclusion for his comeback -Season. He has achieved his goal of being in the top 100, so he should be guaranteed a place in the main draw of the Australian Open.
A few weeks later, things are looking less rosy. On the one hand, a few players have pushed past Dominic Thiem in the world rankings through successes on the Challenger Tour, on the other hand, quite a few professionals could use their protected ranking to safely get into Melbourne's 128 grid: Stan Wawrinka, Guido Pella, Kyle Edmund, Jeremy Chardy, Hugo Dellien, and Lloyd Harris. It remains to be seen whether everyone will actually be fit for the first major in 2023.
So maybe Thiem is in the main field after all
As of now, however, Dominic Thiem has no place in the main draw for the upcoming Australian Open. In fact, he is only number seven on the list of replacements. This gives Thiem the following options on how he can still fight for the really big points in Melbourne.
- The qualification: Which means going into the tournament with the burden of three possibly arduous matches. But also with some self-confidence, if it works.
- A wild card: At the US Open 2022, Thiem was given one, but whether Tennis Australia is just as generous remains to be seen.
- The last protected ranking: As has often been stated at tennisnet, the ATP timed Dominic Thiem's comeback incorrectly: with Cordoba, where Thiem then did not play, instead of with
- Marbella, where the return actually took place. That cost the 29-year-old his ninth protected ranking in 2022. It would only be fair if he were allowed to throw this into the balance at the Australian Open 2023.
Several failures: which Dominic Thiem certainly does not wish on anyone.