Nick Kyrgios rips into fan for critiquing Dominic Thiem's form amid Austrian's injury woes

Nick Kyrgios vehemently shut down a fan for suggesting that Dominic Thiem is no longer the player that he once was.

Thiem reached a career-high ranking of ATP World No. 3 in March 2020. It was a result of his exemplary displays through 2019 and early 2020, which saw him win the 2019 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and reach the finals of the 2019 French Open, the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals, and the 2020 Australian Open.

Later in 2020, Thiem marked the biggest achievement of his tennis career by winning the US Open after defeating Alexander Zverev in the final. However, in 2021, the Austrian suffered a wrist injury at the Mallorca Championships that would prove decisive in shaping his future.

The injury cut short Thiem's 2021 season. Even though the Austrian returned to action in 2022, he struggled to rediscover the form that made him one of the most feared players on the ATP Tour. Right now, Thiem is ranked 97th in the world and continues to deal with symptoms stemming from his 2021 wrist injury despite undergoing surgery.

Recently, a fan urged Kyrgios to help Thiem and also suggested that the Austrian is 'falling off completely'. The former did not take kindly to the fan's words.

The 2022 Wimbledon Championships finalist said that the fan has no clue what is required for someone to be a world-class athlete.

"No you fell off. Thiem had wrist surgery dude? Do you understand how hard that is? And he is still winning at the highest level? Like it's not fair for everyone to keep comparing to how he used to be when he won (Grand) Slams? Like stfu you have no idea what it takes to be a world class athlete," Kyrgios wrote on Instagram.

Nick Kyrgios' response to a fan's assessment of Dominic Thiem on Instagram

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Nick Kyrgios recently hailed Dominic Thiem as an inspiration

Nick Kyrgios (L) and Dominic Thiem (R) at the 2021 Australian Open

Dominic Thiem recently competed at the Estoril Open, where he lost to veteran Richard Gasquet in the Round of 16. During a press conference at the ATP 250 event, the Austrian admitted that his level these days is a long way away from that of 2019, 2020, and early 2021.

"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," Thiem said.

Kyrgios reacted to Thiem's admission, hailing the Austrian as an inspiration.

"Inspiration to me," Kyrgios wrote on X (formerly Twitter.

Kyrgios himself is yet to return to tennis after undergoing a left knee arthroscopy in January 2023. He played only one match last year, a first-round loss at the Stuttgart Open.