Dominic Thiem's comeback was over two years ago: Thomas Muster

Former Austrian player Thomas Muller recently talked about Dominic Thiem's struggles since making a comeback from injury last year.

Thiem, a former World No. 3, has been plagued by injuries since making his Grand Slam breakthrough at the 2020 US Open. In 2021, the Austrian injured his right wrist and was sidelined for eight months. Thiem did reach a few semifinals in 2022, and also made the Rennes Challenger final, but he ended the season with a dismal 18-16 record.

To say that the World No. 93 has struggled in 2023 would be an understatement. He holds a 7-12 slate following his loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round of the Madrid Open.

In a recent interview with Heute, Muster spoke about Thiem's rapidly plummeting fortunes since winning the US Open two years ago.

"Since then I've been hearing about the comeback, but the comeback was over two years ago," he said.

Muster reckons Thiem has made a few 'bad' decisions off the court, like a late separation with his coach Nicolas Massu. Those decisions are being reflected in his series of underwhelming on-court performances, according to Muster.

"It was the sum of the bad decisions that made it," he said. "He broke up with everyone who meant well for him. And he wasn't fit for a match."

"Dominic is a player who needs a lot of repetitions, who has to grind everything in," Muster added. "And that's how it is: when you make a comeback, you have to be as good as before - and then even better, because tennis doesn't stand still."

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"When you come back, you have to completely reinvent yourself" - Thomas Muster on Dominic Thiem

Dominic Thiem in action

Dominic Thiem is a quintessential baseliner who looks to dominate opponents from the back of the court. Muster, though, reckons his compatriot needs to revisit his tactics to keep up with the evolving sport, especially after a comeback.

"When you come back, you have to completely reinvent yourself in your head," he said. "That would now be asked at Thiem. He doesn't win a game six meters behind the baseline."

Muster added:

"In some tournaments, he was lucky that there weren't any line judges anymore. After the return he has to step forward. But that also comes with victories and self-confidence."

Dominic Thiem has a 334-194 career win-loss record. He won his 17th and latest singles title - the biggest of his career - at the 2020 US Open.