Dominic Thiem's woes continue, loses again to top 200 player as retirement becomes possibility

Dominic Thiem once again fell to an opponent outside the top 200 and suffered another poor result after suggesting a possible retirement. The Austrian dropped from the upper echelons of the rankings following a wrist injury that sidelined him for much of the 2021 season. Until October, he remained in the top 10, but then experienced a sharp decline.

In his comeback in 2022, Thiem was outside the top 300, but as he regained confidence, he secured some victories that propelled him back into the top 100. It was hoped that the former US Open champion would return to his best form with each passing week and more matches played.

However, more than two years have passed, and Thiem has failed to meet the expectations of a Grand Slam champion. Despite being only 30 years old, Thiem admitted that he is considering retirement if he cannot achieve better results that propel him to a more comfortable position in the rankings.

This season, the Austrian decided to skip the Sunshine Double and play Challenger tournaments before the European clay season. However, this strategy did not yield positive results. Despite being the top seed, he was eliminated in the second round of the Zadar Challenger this week by his compatriot Lukas Neumayer, ranked No. 219 in the world, with a score of 2-6, 1-6. A week earlier, he suffered a defeat to Daniel Michalski (No. 295) in the first round of the Szekesfehervar Challenger.

Thiem's next challenges will be on clay. He will first compete in the Challenger 125 Naples and then return to an ATP 250 tournament at the Estoril Open. Thiem's results in the coming weeks will likely be crucial, considering that the majority of his titles in his career have come on clay.