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Dominic Thiem's poor run continues as he bowed out of the 2023 French Open in the opening round, losing to Pedro Cachin on Monday, May 29. Tennis fans were devastated to see the 29-year-old lose in the first round of the clay-court Major for the third straight year.
The two-time Roland Garros finalist lost 3-6, 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-4, 2-6 to the 64th-ranked Argentine and now has a 7-13 record in the season. Thiem lost to Rafael Nadal in the Paris Major finals in 2018 and 2019.
Having won 10 out of his 17 ATP singles titles on clay, the Austrian was considered a threat on the red dirt before he suffered a severe wrist injury in June 2021. He returned to action in March 2022 but the 2020 US Open winner struggled to find his rhythm. He kept sliding down the rankings and reached No. 352 in June 2022 and has been trying to regain his top form ever since.
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Monday saw Thiem crash out in the opening round of a fifth consecutive Grand Slam tournament. Although his fans were dejected, they continued to show support and back him to return strongly.
One fan compared Thiem's situation to Nadal's at the same age, saying that there is still hope for the Austrian.
"I just want to say that Dominic Thiem is 29. He’s dealt with a terrible wrist injury and a subsequent loss of momentum and belief. Rafa Nadal was 29 in 2016. He also dealt with a racquet hand wrist injury that sapped his results for 2 years. He found his way back. There is hope," a fan tweeted.
Another fan was disappointed by Thiem's struggle and felt bad for the 29-year-old.
"As a longtime fan, it’s just so painful watching @domithiem struggle so much as a shadow of his former shelf. This player doesn’t resemble the Dominator who won the US Open in 2020," a user wrote.
One fan humorously stated that they are willing to perform black magic to bring Thiem back to his best.
"At this point, I’m all in learn some black magic bc I need Dominic Thiem back!! This is depressing, also 20x more depressing bc it's RG," another tweet read.
Here are some more reactions:
Dominic Thiem vows to work harder after French Open 2023 exit
In a press conference after his first-round loss at the 2023 French Open, Dominic Thiem remarked that he was content with the way he was playing and admitted that his preparation was not enough to go deep in the Paris Major. He also exuded confidence in performing better in the forthcoming events.
“It's obviously difficult, but I'm really convinced with the path that I'm on right now, especially the last six weeks," Thiem said. "That's when I started to be really into my career again, really push myself every day to the limit. But, on the same hand, six weeks is not enough yet to make a deep run here. I have to continue working like that. Today, I failed to reward myself. Hopefully, the next tournament I can do it.”
The 2020 US Open title was the 92nd-ranked player's last ATP singles crown.
