Dominic Thiem said he was satisfied with his performance in Tuesday’s Australian Open first round clash with fifth seed Andre Rublev, before a stomach injury ended his trip 6-3 6-4 6-2. was defeated. .
Thiem broke the Big Three’s stranglehold on Grand Slam titles when he won the 2020 US Open but a wrist injury in 2021 sidelined him for months and he has since struggled to return to the same level.
The 29-year-old Austrian said he was “happy with the performance” against Rublev until he tweaked a stomach muscle while serving in the second set.
“The sun was out — I was in a tough position to serve, so I changed the toss completely and then something happened in the abs or the ribs,” Thiem told reporters. told.
“It’s just a little inflammation or a little strain … obviously not the best time and in the middle of the second set, but it is what it is.
“But honestly, I don’t think I can beat Rublev at 100 percent, he’s a top-five seed here – even really fit. He’s going to be very, very hard to beat and with a problem like Abs, It will be almost impossible.”
Thiem, however, is confident of rediscovering his 2020 form after a difficult season last year when the clay court specialist struggled to win matches on the second-tier Challenger Tour.
“It was a lot harder than I expected at the beginning. Also, I was playing worse than I expected, so it was a tough road back,” Thiem said.
“But things changed, especially towards the autumn, towards the last tournament of the year. There I was playing very well.
“This tournament doesn’t change anything because I just had a tough opponent.”
Dominic Thiem(T)Australian Open 2023