Defeated in the second round of the Estoril Open after recording only his second win of the season earlier on this week, there is an air of acceptance surrounding Dominic Thiem.
Formerly a top player and US Open champion, he had the world at his feet in 2020 before wrist problems sent his career shattering into pieces. He has struggled to find himself in winning form since.
In particular recently, he has lost many matches to opponents not even in the top 300 and has struggled at Challenger level. His opening win over Maximillian Marterer spelled some confidence, but Thiem knows that it is unlikely he will ever return to his old form.
The Austrian who said earlier in the season that he would retire if he found himself not making progress this season called the move to compare and contrast 'pointless' and that he is doing his best in his current plight. He lost to Richard Gasquet in an entertaining 6-4, 7-6 win for the Frenchman.
"It's a different galaxy. It's a lot of different things. I had a bit more power, more confidence. I simply played better tennis, it was more fluid. There are a lot of differences, but I've stopped comparing myself to the player I was before. It's pointless and I'm trying to do my best with my current situation," Thiem said at the Estoril Open.
Dominic Thiem says he’s stopped comparing himself to the player he was before because it’s pointless: “It’s a different galaxy. It’s a lot of different things. I had a bit more power, more confidence. I simply played better tennis, it was more fluid. There are a lot of…
