Rafael Nadal is tipping Dominic Thiem to bounce back in 2023 and return to his old level. Thiem, the 2020 US Open champion, was out for 10 months before returning from a wrist injury last March. Since returning, Thiem has had a few solid runs on the main level but he is still far from his old tennis.
Thiem, a former world No 3, is now ranked at No 96. In a video for the ATP, Nadal was asked to name the player who would have the best comeback in 2023. “Dominic Thiem. I like him. He’s a champion, amazing player. I have full confidence on him,” Nadal said in a video for the ATP, as quoted on Sportskeeda.
Thiem backed by Nadal, but can he bounce back in 2023?
Last weekend, Thiem lost both of his Davis Cup matches and he is now sitting at 1-5 at the start of the 2023 season. Since winning the US Open, Thiem hasn’t won any titles.
In one of his recent interviews, Thiem admitted that “the fire went out after the US Open.” “It went out after the US Open. But we’ve already talked about that. I don’t want to blame myself for that. There are players who celebrate great success who are spurred on by that, who are pushed even further to perform even better, who are immediately on fire to win the next Grand Slam title.
It wasn’t like that for me, I’m a different guy. It took me a while before I accepted that, that I’m a bit harder on myself than some others. What I certainly also had to learn is that it is only up to me and I have to regulate it myself,” Thiem recently told Kronen Zeitung.
During the Davis Cup weekend, Thiem underlined that he still believes he can return to his old level and be a Grand Slam contender.
