“Wrists aren’t easy” – Nick Kyrgios applauds Dominic Thiem after Austrian secures Estoril Open 1R win amid resurfacing of old injury

Despite struggling with recurring wrist injuries, Nick Kyrgios still took the time to applaud Dominic Thiem after his first-round victory at the 2024 Estoril Open.

The former World No. 3 was unable to compete during part of the 2021 season and the entire 2022 season due to a wrist injury sustained at the 2021 Mallorca Championships.

Recently, Thiem shared a video on his Instagram account, revealing that he has been dealing with pain from the same injury he sustained three years ago, right before participating in the 2024 Szekesfehervar Challenger.

“Unfortunately, a little bit before the Challenger in Hungary, the first tournament back for me, my wrist started to make some issues again.

“I started to have those clicks again which bothered me also straight after I came back from the injury three years ago. And also this strange feeling came back and yeah it turned to pain in the last weeks and there is a minor inflammation there,”Thiem said.

Thiem secured his first victory of the 2024 ATP tour season on Monday at the Estoril Open, defeating German player Maximilian Marterer in the first round with a score of 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-4.

After the game, a fan on X (formerly known as Twitter) shared his excitement and playfully tweeted about the 30-year-old’s win on April Fools’ Day.

“I’m so glad Dominic Thiem winning a tennis match isn’t an April Fools joke and is actually reality. 🙏,” he tweeted.

Nick Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist, has been a strong source of support for Thiem during his injury setbacks. In response to the tweet, Kyrgios agreed that dealing with a wrist injury is never easy and expressed his happiness for Thiem’s recent victory.

“Good to see. Wrists aren’t easy!” Nick Kyrgios wrote.

Dominic Thiem to Face Richard Gasquet in Next Match at the Estoril Open

Following his win at the Estoril Open on Monday, Dominic Thiem is scheduled to compete against Richard Gasquet in the round of 16 on Thursday.

Despite facing 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal, who had also returned from injury, in the first round of the Brisbane International, the Austrian was unable to secure a win. His early exit continued at the Australian Open, where he was defeated by Felix Auger-Aliassime in the first round. Following these losses, Thiem participated in three matches on the ATP Challenger Tour, ultimately winning one and losing two.

Despite playing in 11 tournaments on both the ATP Tour and the ATP Challenger Tour, Richard Gasquet has faced challenges with his form this season. He managed to reach the final at the Manama Challenger, but his best performance on the ATP Tour was only making it to the round of 16 at the Qatar Open.

In their five encounters on the ATP Tour, Dominic Thiem and Richard Gasquet have seen the Frenchman emerge victorious in two of the matches.