Dominic Thiem admitted returning to this point on the Grand Slam stage had been a battle more mental than physical.
The former world No.3 and 2020 US Open champion beat Alexander Bublik 6-3 6-2 6-4 in the first round of the 2023 tournament to win his first Grand Slam match in two-and-a-half years.
From the highs of his maiden Grand Slam title in New York, to the lows of an anguished injury struggle, Thiem felt grateful to be trending upward again at one of the sport’s biggest events.
“I think the people are really appreciating … the comeback from the injury. I have the feeling many people feel or know that it's not easy coming back,” said Thiem, who snapped a seven-match losing streak at the majors.
“It was a very good match basically from the first moment on. It's a pretty special victory, because it's the first since two-and-a-half years (at) Grand Slams. I think, I don't know, six or seven Grand Slams without a match win.
“So it's great. Especially here at the US Open with all the past and all the memories I have here.”
It had indeed been six consecutive Grand Slams at which Thiem exited in the first round, which was especially jarring considering the ultimate high he experienced at Flushing Meadows in 2020.
His decline after that major breakthrough, cemented with a five-set final win over Alexander Zverev, was swift, and stark.
He beat Nick Kyrgios in five sets to reach that fourth round at Australian Open 2021 – that was his last Grand Slam match win, until Monday – but once there, he suffered a 6-4 6-4 6-0 loss to Grigor Dimitrov.
That was four months before the injury. Already, Thiem’s fire and drive were diminished after finally achieving a goal he’d spent years chasing.
“I never had the thought of quitting really. Still a little bit too young for that, I guess,” he clarified on Monday, while in the same press conference noting he was soon to turn 30.
Chances to rediscover that motivation, and on-court success, were dashed when he injured his wrist hitting a running forehand against Adrian Mannarino in Mallorca. The official diagnosis was “detachment of the posterior sheath of the ulnar side of the right wrist” and he missed the rest of the season.
When he returned, in March 2022, the faith and confidence in his venomous forehand was gone, and he lost his first seven matches.
He managed to build some momentum and returned to the brink of the top 100, but struggled again in early 2023, losing nine of his first 10 matches.
He snapped a five-match losing streak in Estoril, then progressed to the quarterfinals, and we wondered if it was Thiem’s time to shine on clay. But despite some bright spots, another dip followed; at one point he lost seven of nine matches, and failed to score back-to-back wins in almost three months.
Thiem said he was fine physically, acknowledging he had practised diligently, played plenty of tournaments, and was once more used to the exertions placed on his wrist.
The underlying factor in these mystifying results was psychological.
“The mental side was not that easy as restoring the arm was. Was not doing the same job I was used to before the injury, so that was not easy,” he admitted.
“With every success, with every match, especially with bigger successes or better weeks like I had in Austria when I played my first finals or also here, back on winning ways in Grand Slams, it helps a lot on the mental side and to get the full trust again in the wrist… that it does 100 per cent what I want with the forehand.”
The success on home soil in Austria he referenced was an electrifying run to the Kitzbuhel final earlier this month.
It was his first tour-level final since the ATP Finals in November 2020 – almost three years earlier – but it did not foreshadow what was to come at the US Open.
Thiem had not played in the three weeks since that Kitzbuhel result, arriving in New York without a single match on North American hard courts.
He nevertheless fired 26 winners to close out a straight-sets win over 25th seed Bublik – his first victory over a top-30 player since October last year.
Dominic Thiem gets it done in straight sets. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/RRdluqWwHZ
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 28, 2023
It sets up a meeting with Ben Shelton, a player who may partially identify with Thiem’s travails.
The talented American lefty broke through with his Australian Open quarterfinal run earlier this year, but won just nine of his next 28 matches.
A 10th win came against Pedro Cachin on Monday at the US Open, his first Grand Slam match win since his exciting performance at Melbourne Park in January.
Shelton has earned a fan in Thiem, and their match presents a terrific opportunity for both to build on form that is slowly returning to their racquets.
“I'm looking forward a lot to that match. He's a great guy. He's unbelievable athlete. I really love to watch him. I guess that one big thing gonna be the return again. He's serving incredible,” Thiem said.
“Coming back here always helps. Not only because I won here, but because of the city and because of the tournament itself. It just has a special energy.
“Coming back here is always a great, great experience.”