Dominic Thiem

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[Damian]

3) Thiem Gathering Momentum: Dominic Thiem found some form last week in Bastad, where he earned his first tour-level wins since May 2021 against Emil Ruusuvuori and Roberto Bautista Agut to reach the quarter-finals. The Austrian, who was 0-6 on the season before last week, is a former champion in Gstaad, having triumphed on his last appearance in 2015. The 28-year-old will face seventh seed Hugo Gaston in the first round as he looks to build on the momentum gained in Sweden.

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[Damian]

Exclusive: Getting The Thiem Train Back On Track

Spoiler:

Austrian earned his first tour-level win in 14 months last week
‘Game, set, match, Thiem.’

They were the words Dominic Thiem had been waiting 14 months to hear. When they came, following his first-round victory over Emil Ruusuvuori last week in Bastad, the 28-year-old could finally exhale.

For the Austrian, it was a special moment and a landmark point in his return from a right wrist injury that forced him to miss the second half of last season, a layoff that was followed by a struggle for form in the opening months of 2022.

“The win felt very good and it was much needed,” Thiem told ATPTour.com. “The ATP Challenger [Tour] event in Salzburg the week before was also a step in the right direction, with a win there and with a tight loss in the next round. I felt there was a big improvement compared to Roland Garros and the other tournaments.

“Crucially, I was able to back it up in Bastad with two very good wins against two Top 50 opponents, so that was very good and amazing for my confidence. It is way more fun to win some matches and build some momentum and confidence, and that is exactly what I am going to take forward.”

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Thiem, who also defeated Roberto Bautista Agut en route to the quarter-finals last week, was No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings last June when he was forced to retire against Adrian Mannarino in Mallorca due to injury.

After being sidelined for nine months, the 28-year-old sat at No. 50 when he returned to competitive action at a Challenger event in Marbella in March.

Despite being a 17-time tour-level champion, Thiem struggled to make an impact in matches during the European clay swing, holding a 0-6 tour-level record on the year before he finally tasted victory in Bastad. It was a testing time for the 2020 US Open champion.

“In the spring it was not easy to stay positive as I lost one match after another,” Thiem admitted. “Also, the way I played, I felt it was not enough for the level of those guys. I went into those matches with the knowledge that I am not even able to win, so that was very difficult.

“Mentally it was not easy. After Roland Garros, I sat down with my team and said I needed another training block to get back to the basics and get somewhere close to my old level. Now it is getting nicer again. It was not that nice in the spring. It is very tough if you lose and go to the practice court for five days and then the next match you lose again. It is very tough.”

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/domi ... w'>Dominic Thiem</a>
Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
With the nature of sport, injuries occur and challenges will arise. For Thiem, the difficulties he has faced over the past year have changed his outlook on playing on the Tour.

“I feel now a bit like I did at the beginning of my career, where every win was something very special. I reached the quarter-finals in Bastad at an ATP 250 and it feels huge to me,” Thiem said. “It was similar at the start of my career. When you are used to going deep, a match win is not as special anymore. But that is not the way it should be. The level is so high, all the players are playing so well, so every match win should be special and that is how I am feeling again now.”

Since making his ATP Tour debut in 2011, fans have become accustomed to seeing Thiem time the ball immaculately and demonstrate precise footwork. The Austrian felt that his lack of match action for nine months meant these areas of his game suffered, impacting his level.

“The problem was I just didn’t hit enough because I didn’t have enough time. That was the biggest problem along with the fact that I was missing those match situations,” Thiem said.

“I am a player who always needs a little time after such a long time off. Even after the off-season, I need some matches to get my anticipation back, and footwork, and then I was out for one year, so all of that suffered a lot. I also didn’t have more than one match a week, so it was impossible to improve. It was a bad time, but I'm pleased I am out of it.”



Last summer, Thiem spent the first four weeks of his recovery travelling as he looked to make the most of a rare bit of time out, enjoying a trip to Berlin while he attended sporting events around Europe.

Although a frustrating period of rehabilitation followed, the Austrian admitted he continued to keep a close eye on the Tour.

“I started to watch again from the US Open onwards. It is a little bit different if you watch from some distance. For 10 years I was almost at every tournament, so watching on TV is different,” Thiem said. “But now you see way more stuff and I also thought ‘How good are they playing!’ It is unbelievable I was there just one year ago, so you appreciate the level much more."

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/domi ... w'>Dominic Thiem</a>
Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
While Thiem was impressed with what he saw, two players stuck out.

“I played against Jannik Sinner at an exhibition and hit with him at many tournaments, so I knew he was coming to the top and he was good [to watch],” Thiem added. “He has been there for a while and he will probably be even higher soon.

“I knew Carlos Alcaraz, but he made the big breakthrough when I was not there. But I saw him quite a lot because he won Umag and then he played in Kitzbuehel and he lost to an Austrian guy [Alexander Erler] and I saw that whole match. You could see it was not going to take long for him to break through. You could see he was going to be in the Top 10.

“Hopefully I will play them soon as it is always exciting to face new players as I have faced most of the guys already and know them quite well. I can imagine it is not that fun to play against Alcaraz. It must be really hard!”


With his game on an upward trajectory, Thiem may meet Alcaraz and Sinner in the coming months as he bids to gather momentum and climb the Pepperstone ATP Rankings again, starting at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad this week. The Austrian's aims moving forward are clear.

“The main goal is to regain my best level by the end of the season. To play the way I was before when I step on court. To think I am able to win against any opponent,” Thiem said. “That is not going to happen now or probably by the US Open, but by the end of the year, that is the goal.

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[The Djoker]

[Damian]

[Nando]

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[Damian]

Thiem Saves MP, Wins Gstaad Opener In Third-Set Tie-break

Spoiler:

Austrian has earned tour-level victories in consecutive weeks
Playing at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad for the first time since his 2015 title run, Dominic Thiem won a dramatic opening match on Tuesday against seventh seed and 2021 Gstaad finalist Hugo Gaston.

The Austrian picked up his third tour-level victory of the season with a 1-6, 6-1, 7-6(7) win in Roy Emerson Arena, using a big serve to erase a match point in the tie-break as he claimed the final three points of the contest.

"It's always really challenging. That tie-break in the third set was very, very tough," said Thiem, who hit a dipping return on his second match point to thwart his opponent's serve-and-volley attempt.

"The first two sets were very one-sided, the first for Hugo and the second for me. Then the third set, no breaks so the tie-break had to decide it. Tie-breaks in deciding sets are always somehow 50/50. It was so close... Really happy that I got the win."

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One week after earning his first match wins since his right-wrist injury in Bastad, Thiem made a slow start in the mountains of Gstaad before finding traction with his ground game in set two.

"I had some troubles to get used to the conditions," Theim said, referencing the Gstaad altitude. "Also he played well. [He was a] finalist last year so he gave me a lot of troubles. When I made that first break in the second set, from then on I loosened up a little bit. I started to play better and better and it paid off at the end."

Thiem advances to face Federico Delbonis, who was a 6-4, 7-5 winner against Mikael Ymer on Tuesday.

Germany's Yannick Hanfmann upset sixth seed Cristian Garin 6-3, 6-4 after winning a pair of three-setters to qualify for the main draw. The 32-year-old earned his first tour-level win since he reached the Santiago quarter-finals in February, while Garin was competing for the first time since his Wimbledon quarter-final run.

Richard Gasquet was also victorious on Tuesday, earning a 7-5, 6-4 result against Roberto Carballes Baena to set up a second-round meeting with second seed Matteo Berrettini.

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[Damian]

[Damian]

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[Damian]

Thiem Sinks Delbonis In Gstaad

Spoiler:

Austrian next faces Peruvian qualifier Varillas
Dominic Thiem gained further momentum on Thursday at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad, overcoming Argentine Federico Delbonis 7-6(8), 6-3 to reach his second tour-level quarter-final in as many weeks.

The Austrian let slip a 5-2 lead in the first set, but took the opener after saving two set points in the tie-break. Thiem then opened his shoulders and hit through Delbonis in the second set to advance after one hour and 57 minutes.


“Every win is so important right now and I got a great energy from my box,” Thiem said in his on-court interview. “They also knew that first set was crucial and the key to the match. I am coming from [reaching] the quarters in Bastad and I really wanted to back it up here in Gstaad.

"I have won two matches which means a lot to me right now. I really need those ranking points. Every match win is something very special.”

You May Also Like: Exclusive: Getting The Thiem Train Back On Track
The former World No. 3, who saved one match point in his first-round victory against Hugo Gaston, defeated Emil Ruusuvuori and Roberto Bautista Agut en route to his maiden tour-level quarter-final of the season last week in Bastad.

Thiem will be aiming to go one stage further at the ATP 250 clay-court event in Switzerland when he next faces Peruvian qualifier Juan Pablo Varillas. In a rain-disrupted match, the World No. 115 Varillas upset third seed Bautista Agut 7-6(3), 7-5.

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“The key moment was that set point save,” Thiem added. “I thought I was playing well the whole match. I was in control in the first set, but then I didn’t play a good game when serving for the set and it was close. He can play really heavy here, especially in altitude. Those two set points saved plus winning that tie-break was the key.”

The 17-time tour-level titlist Thiem has fond memories in Gstaad, having lifted the trophy on his previous appearance in 2015. The last time the 28-year-old won a tour-level crown was at the US Open in 2020.

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[Nando]

[Nando]

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

[Damian]

Thiem Soars Into Gstaad SFs

Spoiler:

Austrian seeking first title since September 2020

Dominic Thiem’s comeback stepped up a gear Friday at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad, where he overcame Peruvian qualifier Juan Pablo Varillas 6-4, 6-3 to reach his first tour-level semi-final of the season.

In a dominant performance, the Austrian pulled the 26-year-old from around the court as he took heavy cuts at the ball to dictate the baseline exchanges, advancing after one hour and 47 minutes in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.


The former World No. 3, who missed the second half of last season due to injury, reached the quarter-finals in Bastad last week, earning his first tour-level win of the year in the process.

The 28-year-old has backed up that run in Gstaad and will next face second seed Matteo Berrettini or Spaniard Pedro Martinez. It is the first time Thiem has reached the semi-finals at a tour-level event since May 2021, when he enjoyed a run to the last four in Madrid.

The 17-time tour-level titlist, who saved one match point in his first-round victory over Hugo Gaston, is aiming to triumph at the ATP 250 clay-court event for the second time, having lifted the trophy in his previous appearance in 2015.

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[Damian]

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