Thiem loses 2nd match back after injury in Belgrade to Millman

Dominic Thiem battled hard in Belgrade but ultimately he collapsed late to lose to John Millman in his 2nd match back after injury.

Yes, this was the 2nd match Dominic Thiem played after his injury but technically it's a second first because the Austrian player caught COVID-19 after his first one further delaying his return. He played much better in this one than in the previous one but you could argue he faced an inferior clay player than in the first one. Millman is far from comfortable on this surface but he was able to get the win.

Thiem showed rust and at times his fitness was a question mark because he was seen breathing heavily after every longer rally. He dropped the first with 6-3 as he was still finding his way on the court. 10 days of practising before this match were not enough to get him to peak conditioning. The 2nd set is when Thiem finally found his stride.

He showed off some vintage movement on clay as well as his backhand which is a beauty. He was able to take an early lead in that set and hold it for the rest to win the 2nd set with 6-3. The final was a proper battle between two players who were both a bit exhausted but Thiem was struggling a bit more. Towards the end of it, he started to feel it quite a bit and Millman was able to secure a late break to win the match.