Austrian World No. 4 Dominic Thiem has made a successful return to the ATP Tour after his brief break from tennis. He will now try to reach his first semifinal of 2021 at the Mutua Madrid Open by playing against John Isner.

The 27-year-old has been seen as capable of dethroning the big three of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. But while most of his generation is still struggling to do so, Thiem reflected on the next generation of players.

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Dominic Thiem recently spoke about whether he watches tennis while he is away from the sport. Surprisingly, the reigning US Open champion revealed that he does not watch tournaments when he is not playing.

“When I’m not in tournaments myself, I usually don’t watch tennis myself. I just got used to it,” Thiem said.

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(All quotes are translated from German to English via Google Translate)

However, as the Austrian ace progressed in Madrid, he got a chance to watch other players, and he was impressed by a couple of the younger players. “But the closer I got to the tournament again, the more I watched myself. All the younger players are really interesting and attractive to look at,” Dominic added.

From the clan of young players, the two-time Nitto ATP Finals runner-up hailed 19-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner the most. Dominic also added Carlos Alcaraz, who celebrated his 18th birthday playing against idol Rafael Nadal, to his list. He expressed that the future after the big three would remain bright.

Dominic said, “Sinner is probably the furthest. Yesterday I also saw Alcaraz against Nadal live in the stadium. Really, really good players will follow suit, and I think that’s important, especially after this sick era with Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer.”

Undeniably, Sinner has proved his worth with an 18-7 record, including one ATP title and a Masters 1000 final. Moreover, eyes will now be on both Sinner and Alcaraz as they take on the rest of the season.

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Thiem’s road ahead in Mutua Madrid Open 2021

Despite winning the last two matches in straight sets in Madrid, Dominic said he still lacked the rhythm. Thus, he will again put himself to the test against the American ace-master John Isner.

If he clears the Isner test, the Austrian will face the ultimate test of Rafael Nadal in the semifinal. This will also give him an idea of what to improve before playing in Rome and eventually in Paris.

Hopefully, Thiem will stay motivated and hungry to win titles and play for the entirety of the 2021 season. It remains to be seen if he can steal another Grand Slam title while the big three are still there.

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