Dominic Thiem admits he “didn’t deserve” Roland Garros wildcard after tournament faces massive backlash for not awarding him one
Dominic Thiem beat Franco Agamenone in his first-round qualifier match in Paris.
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Dominic Thiem (Via Imago)
Austrian star Dominic Thiem has admitted that he didn’t deserve a wildcard entry into the Roland Garros draw this year. The 30-year-old will be playing the qualifying rounds to earn a spot in the main draw.
Despite Thiem being a two-time Finalist at the Roland Garros, he was shockingly denied an entry into the main draw due to his ranking. The former World No.3 began the year as No. 98 but has since slipped further to No.131 in the ATP live rankings. For over a year, he has since been struggling between No. 60 and 100 after sustaining a wrist injury.
The Austrian ace had won the 2020 US Open after reaching the Australian Open that year but a serious wrist injury which saw him sidelined for months caused his depleting form. He dropped further in the ranking every year despite his perseverance. Thiem announced a few weeks ago that he will retire from the sport after struggling to reach the last eight of any tournament this year.
Thiem participated at the ATP Challenger (second division) in February with a great chance to change his season but couldn’t get past the round of 16 stage. He even went on to announce he would play at the Estoril Open, but he exited in the second round. However, with a consistently disappointing season, the 30-year-old has admitted he didn’t deserve a French Open wildcard.
Honestly I had a long time to be in a good ranking. I had enough tournaments and enough time to climb up the ranking and I didn’t do it, so I kind of didn’t deserve it and that’s fine. I had 10 main draw appearances in the last years so that’s more than enough.
Dominic Thiem said via Gaspar Lança
Meanwhile, the former No.3 ended as runners-up twice at the French Open losing to its record winner Rafael Nadal, on both accounts. Last year, he exited in the first round, losing to Argentine Pedro Cachin.
Dominic Thiem says he didn’t deserve a wild card for Roland Garros:
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 20, 2024
“Honestly I had a long time to be in a good ranking. I had enough tournaments and enough time to climb up the ranking and I didn’t do it, so I kind of didn’t deserve it and that’s fine. I had 10 main draw… pic.twitter.com/zgWpP4O0Sz
Dominic Thiem earn a deserved win in the first-round qualifier of the Roland Garros
Dominic Thiem began his qualifiers round match in style as he came from behind to beat Italian Franco Agamenone 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in two hours and 21 minutes. The Austrian has a 28-10 record at the Roland Garros and that proved well for him throughout the match.
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He hit 41 winners against Agamenone to earn his brilliant win. He will face 22-year-old Finland Otto Virtanen in the second round of the qualifier. Thiem is aiming to be in the main draw of the tournament which starts on May 26.
However, the last time Thiem nearly won a title was at the 2023 Austrian Open Kitzbühel but lost to World No.20 Sebastian Baez in the final.
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