Dominic Thiem: “I’ve stopped comparing myself to the player I was before; It’s pointless”

Ever since his victory at the US Open in 2020, Dominic Thiem’s performance has noticeably declined. Despite being a former World No. 3, he has not been able to secure a single title since his Grand Slam win and is currently ranked 91st in the ATP rankings.

In 2024, Thiem qualified for the main draw of the Brisbane International but was defeated by Rafael Nadal in the first round. He also faced a first-round loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Australian Open.

In March, the Austrian faced tougher competition as he was unable to defeat Daniel Michalski in his first match at the Szekesfehervar Challengers. However, in the following days, he was able to defeat Filip Krajinovic in the opening round of the Zadar Challengers before ultimately losing to fellow countryman Lukas Neumayer in the next round.

In the first round of the 2024 Estoril Open, Thiem secured a victory over Germany’s Maximilian Marterer with a score of 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-4. This marked his second win of the season, after previously winning 17 titles between 2015 and 2020.

Despite his admission that he is not currently at his peak performance level, Dominic Thiem has not allowed any past struggles to weigh him down. He remains determined to make the most of his recovery from a wrist injury and is optimistic about his future prospects.

“It’s a different galaxy. It’s a lot of different things. I had a bit more power, more confidence. I simply played better tennis, it was more fluid. There are a lot of differences, but I’ve stopped comparing myself to the player I was before. It’s pointless and I’m trying to do my best with my current situation,”Dominic Thiem said (via Tennishead).

Rising star Dominic Thiem set to take on veteran Richard Gasquet at Estoril Open

Dominic Thiem is set to compete against Richard Gasquet from France in order to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Estoril Open.

Thiem has faced Gasquet in five matches so far, with a head-to-head record of 3-2 in Thiem’s favor. However, he was unable to defeat the Frenchman in their initial encounters at the 2015 Swiss Indoors and the 2017 Erste Bank Open.

However, in the three matches that followed, the 30-year-old managed to secure victories over Gasquet. He emerged as the victor at the China Open (2019), Moselle Open (2022), and in Monte-Carlo the previous year.

Gasquet’s entry into the main draw in Estoril was notable as he received a bye in the opening round as the lucky loser.