"The gas tank that Dominic Thiem was revered for is starting to fill back up" - Journalist Kenny Ducey after Austrian's Vienna Open 1R win

Dominic Thiem suffered a horrific wrist injury in June last year, forcing him to spend the next nine months on the sidelines.

The Austrian was World No. 5 at the time and when he returned to action in March this year, he had slipped to 50th position. The wrist issue completely disrupted Thiem's rhythm as the 29-year-old faced seven consecutive first-round exits, including the French Open, the Italian Open, and the Madrid Open.

He soon found himself ranked 274th. However, Thiem stepped up his game and reached his current ranking of 113, with massive signs of improvement every week. At the Vienna Open, the 2020 US Open winner beat World No. 30 Tommy Paul 2-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(6).

Speaking about his progress on an episode of the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast, journalist Kenny Ducey expressed his joy at watching Thiem get closer to his top form. Ducey stated that with his fitness levels improving, the former World No. 3 was starting to look like "vintage Thiem."

"I think the gas tank that he has been revered for for years is starting to fill back up," Ducey said, adding, "I think that now, Thiem's starting to really show that he has the fitness with multiple three-set matches in a week and taking it deep to win that match against Tommy Paul by breaking back. I mean it does help that he's in Vienna and he had the crowd going insane. But it is definitely starting to look like vintage Thiem."

Ducey added that after winning the US Open in 2020, Thiem seemed to struggle mentally for a long time, a phase that he was finally over.

"Before his injuries and after he won the US Open, he was not himself. Mentally, he was in a cloud. The physical elements were one thing but I think he was in a terrible place mentally. Now, he's focused, he's locked in, and has a lot of confidence in his game," he stated.

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Dominic Thiem ends season after Vienna Open R2 defeat

Dominic Thiem lost in the second round against Daniil Medvedev

After losing 6-3, 6-3 to Daniil Medvedev in the second round of the Vienna Open, Dominic Thiem announced that he was ending his 2022 season right away. In a post-match press conference, the 29-year-old revealed his plans, stating that he wanted to step up his training.

“We decided that I would focus fully on preparation; I'll finish at 100, 101 or 102. It should work out under normal circumstances. I want to get out there as a machine. That's the only goal. Due to the wrist injury, I've never really been able to do the combination of tennis and fitness training. That will take me further,” Dominic Thiem said.

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