Dominic Thiem ecstatic after first Grand Slam win in 927 days as he defeats Alexander Bublik in the US Open 2023

Dominic Thiem defeats the 25th seed Alexander Bublik in their first-round encounter.

Dominic Thiem ecstatic after first Grand Slam win in 927 days as he defeats Alexander Bublik in the US Open 2023

Dominic Thiem (Source: Sky Sports)

2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem has finally ended his winless streak at Grand Slams after an emphatic win over the 25th seed Alexander Bublik.

The Austrian breezed past Bublik, winning in straight sets (6-3, 6-2, 6-4). This was Thiem’s first Grand Slam win after a drought of 927 days. Thiem last won a Grand Slam match at the 2021 Australian Open. Since then, the 29-year-old has struggled with a wrist injury. 

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In an on-court interview, a visibly ecstatic Thiem said, “It was amazing. Today is pretty special. I hadn’t won a Grand Slam match since Australia in 2021. I couldn’t have wished for a better place than here.“

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Continuing his train of thoughts, he further added, “With all the memories & past experiences here. Some very good ones & some rough ones. Especially on this court. So I’m super happy. Thank you so much for all the support.” Bublik was on a 3-match losing streak, since winning Halle and reaching Wimbledon 2nd week, heading into the match.

The Austrian talking about his struggles with injury said, “My wrist, which is very important for my game.. it just took its time to recover & get the confidence back in the wrist. I was also off tour for 10 months. All the other players improved. I wasn’t able to practice well. Now I’m back on track. It means a lot to me this first Grand Slam victory after this injury happened. Time to enjoy a bit.” After the early exit at 2022 French Open Thiem fell out of the top 300.

Alexander Bublik struggled with his serve as he hit 17 double faults. In one of the service games, Bublik hit four double faults, handing the break to Thiem. Dominic Thiem won 96 points compared to Bublik’s 72.

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Alexander Bublik makes rude comment about Dominic Thiem in an on-court rant

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Alexander Bublik (Getty Images)

World No. 27 Alexander Bublik is known for losing his temper on the court. The Kazakh is known for his casual approach to practicing and the use of underarm serve during games. 

In a 2020 interview with L’Équipe, Bublik also stated that he lamented the sport, and the financial incentives were what kept him going. He said, “If there was no money, I would stop playing tennis instantly. I haven’t earned enough money; in any other case I would have already retired.”

But this time Bublik might have gone too far with his words. In an on-court rant against Thiem, Bublik said, “I’m f**king sick of getting all these disabled people back in their career.”

As expected, the comment was aimed at Thiem’s previous struggles with wrist injury. ATP hasn’t yet commented on the issue.

Dominic Thiem is scheduled to compete against American Ben Shelton in the second round of the US Open. The Austrian would take confidence from the win heading into the second round for the first time since 2021. 

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