Dominic Thiem and Stan Wawrinka's return to action after lengthy breaks ended in disappointment as they suffered straight-sets losses at the Andalucia Open on Tuesday. Thiem was making his comeback after almost nine months out due to a wrist injury, while Wawrinka had been sidelined for more than a year with a foot problem.
The three-time Grand Slam champion was defeated by World No. 131 Elias Ymer, while Thiem fell to World No. 228 Pedro Cachin.
But tennis fans on social media were, for the most part, understanding of the results. Many took to Twitter to remark that it was normal for any player, even former Major winners, to struggle after months of inactivity. In fact, most were of the opinion that only former World No. 1s Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had altered that trend with their unprecedented success in recent times.
For the record, Federer returned in 2017 after months on the sidelines and went on to win the Australian Open and the Sunshine Double to notch up a 20-1 start to the season. Nadal enjoyed similar success this year, recovering from a foot injury to win the Australian Open and the Mexican Open. The Spaniard also reached the final at Indian Wells to post a 20-1 record identical to that of the Swiss.
"Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's comebacks have set unrealistic expectations for how top players will perform immediately after lengthy injury absences," one fan tweeted.
"It was the normal thing to happen. Lots of time away from competition, you cannot expect a comeback and beat professional players full of competitive rythm. They went there to practice and i think they did a good match," one fan posted.
"Comebacks for Thiem and Wawrinka today both sadly end in defeat. But this should be expected for their first matches back. They’ve both been out for a long time and it takes match practice to get their sharpness back," another fan wrote.
Some fans made use of the opportunity to point out the quality of the Challenger tour, something that is often overlooked by casual viewers who only follow the ATP tour.
"People who expect Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem to go out and win comfortably after being away from the sport for so long need to reevaluate what they think of Challenger tennis," one fan tweeted.
"Today's losses by Dominic Thiem and Stan Wawrinka once again prove how incredibly well players outside of the Top 100 play. No easy matches," another fan tweeted.
Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem will return to action on the ATP tour at the Monte-Carlo Masters
Despite their recent losses, Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem are on track to return to action on the ATP tour in the coming days. The Swiss is confirmed to participate in the Monte-Carlo Masters (April 10-17), where he has been awarded a wildcard.
Thiem, on the other hand, will not need a wildcard since he is eligible for direct entry into the main draw with his ranking (50). Wawrinka is a former winner of the tournament, having triumphed in 2014, while the Austrian's best result has been reaching the quarterfinals (2018).