Austrian tennis player Dominic Thiem, who won the US Open last year, had a terrible downfall after his first major as he grappled with a lack of motivation to step on the court again.

Also, Thiem had a knee injury that kept him from playing to his full potential. After a brief sabbatical, the Austrian made a promising comeback at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he lost to Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals 3-6,6-4. 

“He Served 227, 228”: Dominic Thiem Applauds Alexander Zverev, Accepts Couldn’t Do Much in Madrid Semifinals

“It’s amazing to have him with us”- Dominic Thiem on Roger Federer

Even though Thiem looked far from his best at Madrid, he didn’t fumble in the initial rounds and made it to the semis. The Austrian can use this rising momentum at the Italian Open, where he will face Marton Fucsovics in the second round. 

Talking to the press ahead of his opening match, Thiem talked about the comeback of Roger Federer and his chances at Wimbledon this year. 

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“It’s amazing to have him with us. I’m also looking forward to seeing him play Wimbledon and Roland again… If he is physically 100%, I guess he can still get a lot in the tournament he’s in,” Thiem mentioned. 

(Quotes have been translated)

In fact, Dominic Thiem is one of the few next-gen players to enjoy a positive head-to-head record against the Swiss Maestro. In the seven times that they have played against each other, the Austrian has won five matches. Their most recent encounter was in a round-robin match at the ATP World Tour Finals in 2019. The Austrian won the contest 7-5,7-5. 

Thiem is optimistic about Federer’s chances at winning his 21st major

Thiem responded positively when asked about Federer’s chances of winning his 21st Grand Slam title. He said:

“I think so. Why not? I don’t think he would play otherwise. He’s too good… I guess if he knew he wasn’t playing for the big titles anymore, he wouldn’t be playing. So I expect him, especially at Wimbledon, to be able to go very, very far and also play for the title.”

Both Federer and Thiem might find it hard to achieve success at the French Open this year, as each of them had to stay away from the game for quite some time. 

While the next-gen players dominated the Big-3 at the Masters 1000 tournaments, they are yet to make a breakthrough in Grand Slams. Since 2017, no member of the Big-3 has won the year-end championships (World Tour Finals). 

But for players like Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Daniil Medvedev, winning a Grand Slam would mean defeating two of the Big-3, and it will be incredibly hard to do so. 

“Physically, I Have Broken Down”: Dominic Thiem Opens Up on Anticipated Comeback at Madrid Open 2021