Is Dominic Thiem getting the finishing touches in Winston-Salem?
Dominic Thiem returns to the tour next week at the ATP 250 tournament in Winston-Salem. Once again there are many unanswered questions before the Austrian's next appearance.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Aug 17, 2022, 07:51 am
After his respiratory infection, Dominic Thiem is ready for tennis at the highest level again. As the Austrian confirmed on social media on Tuesday, he is on his way to the USA these days to prepare for the US Open, which begins on August 29, at the ATP 250 tournament in Winston-Salem.
In North Carolina, Thiem will make his first appearance since his quarter-final defeat in Kitzbühel, but his last appearance on hard court is much further in the past: On March 16 of the previous year, the former world number three lost to the South African Lloyd Harris in Dubai in two sets.
Thiem uses wildcards
While Thiem was still considered a candidate for tournament victory at every event despite a crisis in form, the situation is currently very different: the Lower Austrian is only 228th in the world rankings, in Winston-Salem he will start thanks to a wildcard . The same applies to the US Open. As a result, the 28-year-old does not have to use his protected ranking.
There is once again a big question mark behind Thiem's form before the start of his short trip to North America. Recently, the Lichtenwörther showed a lot of improvement, but he was not able to correct some inexplicable mistakes even after the French Open. The fact that Thiem reached the quarter-finals in both Bastad and Kitzbühel after an expandable performance in Salzburg (round of 16) and only had to pack his bags in Gstaad after the semi-finals should be reason for hope for the Austrian fans.
Thiem with good memories of the US Open
However, Thiem is not considered a classic quick starter, so an early end in Winston-Salem would certainly not be a surprise. The same applies to the US Open in New York, where the Lower Austrian won his only Grand Slam title so far about two years ago.
The question remains whether Thiem just needs some fine-tuning just before the last Grand Slam tournament of the year in Winston-Salem in order to gradually approach the best in the guild. Or whether major adjustments are necessary in the Austrian's game. The goal for the rest of the season, according to Thiem a few weeks ago, is to return to the top 100 .