Dominic Thiem is a man on a mission this week. He returns on Tour with the Rio Open for the first time since Australian Open. The Austrian has eyes only for one thing right now; the World No. 3 spot which Roger Federer currently holds.

Dominic Thiem wants Roger’s spot

Thiem is without a doubt at the peak of his career. Even before he was playing at a very high level, but his game was best suited for clay. But the Austrian has changed that in the past few months and now boasts of a more complete game.

Dominic Thiem is now a threat to everyone, even on hard courts. That was quite evident from his displays Down Under.

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Thiem has already moved past his defeat in the final, and now looks ahead to other objectives. He makes his return on Tour this week at Rio Open, and he plans on capturing the No. 3 spot in the rankings. He believes he has the chance to do just that if he plays well in the next few weeks.

“Of course I’m happy that I’m at my career high but I really would like to get the number three spot. I think that if I play well here I can make it. I know it’s a challenge but it’s also a nice goal for the upcoming weeks.”

Just a few weeks back though, Thiem had proclaimed that the rankings was not his main objective.

“Of course, the top 3 would be nice, but it’s not my main goal. Rather, I want to continue the level I played in Australia, then that should come about with the ranking by itself.”

But now that he has a chance to take over from Roger, he is not about to play it down. This change in tune is nothing bu Thiem’s confidence and self-belief that he can do well in Rio and move ahead of the Swiss maestro.

The Austrian sits just 85 points behind Roger as he gets ready for the ATP 500 event. He is a past champion here, having won it in 2017. Given his current form and the fact that he took a well-earned rest after the Major, he will surely fare well.

Federer plays in the Dubai open next, which begins on February 24.