Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem believes he is heading in the right direction as he continues his search for his best form after a lengthy injury layoff.
The 29-year-old Austrian was out for nine months with a wrist problem before returning to action last spring. Previously ranked a career-high No 3 in the world, Thiem lost the first seven matches of his comeback and dropped to as low as 346 in the rankings by July.
After a five-week training block in early summer, Thiem began to find his game and amassed a 23-12 win-loss record across both the Challenger and ATP tours, rising to 102 in the rankings, thanks to semi-final appearances in Gstaad, Gijon and Antwerp.
Currently in Dubai competing in the World Tennis League exhibition event, Thiem believes he’s on the right track. Despite a narrow defeat to Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime at the WLT on Thursday, he feels he is in a good place as he puts the finishing touches to his game ahead of the start of a new season. “I have the feeling that I’m going in a good direction.