“If not for Rafael Nadal,” Dominic Thiem’s clay record lauded by Miami Masters director
Dominic Thiem return to Miami Open after a hiatus of two years as he receives a wildcard entry.
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Dominic Thiem (Image Credit: Tennis.com)
Dominic Thiem gets a wildcard entry into the main draw of the Miami Open 2023. This news was confirmed by Miami Open Tournament director James Blake. The Austrian will be returning to this Masters tournament after being absent from this competition for two seasons.
Miami Open is an ATP 1000 event played on outdoor hard courts. Besides Indian Wells Open, this is one of the most prestigious Masters tournaments in the tennis calendar. Both the tournaments together are called “sunshine doubles”.
Mr. Blake, meanwhile, is delighted to have Dominic Thiem back. In a recent interview, he shared his excitement. He also compared him with Rafael Nadal, against whom he ran into a couple of times in the final of the French Open, but could never pass the insurmountable challenge.
“He’s a guy that was talked about the second favorite after Rafa (Nadal) on clay, but he ran into Rafa and he’s the greatest clay court player of all time. He’s not a huge guy in stature, but his game is big. Big serve, big forehand and one of the most beautiful backhands in the game. If it were not for Rafa, Dominic would have added a few French Open titles to his resume,” he noted.
The entry list into the Miami Open 2023 also includes big names such as Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev among others. However, suspense over Novak Djokovic‘s participation in this prestigious tournament continues.
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Dominic Thiem is thinking about life beyond tennis
Since winning the US Open 2020 men’s singles title, Dominic Thiem has seen his career take a downward turn. He had to miss out on almost half of the 2021 season and the first few months of the 2022 season owing to injury and form concerns.
He made his return by playing in the Marbella Challenger tournament in March, 2022. However, he could not register the kind of victories he would have liked. Meanwhile, he also dropped ranking points and was forced out of Top 300 in ATP rankings.
But all the failures on the courts in recent months have changed his outlook on his career and life. In a recent ATP podcast, he stated how the break helped him to learn more about himself and look at life from a different angle.
“I’m constantly thinking of a life beyond tennis. I think that tennis was the only part of my life, which is good in one way but if you’re getting older it’s not good anymore…you need other thoughts in your head, other things to do,” the current World No.96 expressed.
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