Home » “The best game I’ve played”: Thiem beaming after victory over Delbonis

Dominic Thiem appears to have returned on the eve of the appointment in “his” Kitzbuhel and, more importantly, the North American tour. Dominic Thiem, who has just completed a nightmare comeback that has included six straight losses and one success on the minor circuit.

After advancing to the quarterfinals in Bastad, the talented Austrian repeated the feat in Gstaad by defeating Federico Delbonis in straight sets. I felt like I played well, and I feel like my overall game has improved over the past few weeks.

‘I could have closed out the first set earlier, but I was having some trouble with my serve,’ he said, reflecting on the game’s development. For me, at this stage in my career, every victory counts the same.

“I come from a good week, I confirmed that result [the quarters, ed.] and that means a lot to me, also for the ranking,” he said in the press conference.

The match was the best Thiem has played since his return.

I also consider today’s match to be the best one I’ve played since returning.

For the first time in my life, I was able to relax and make the shots I wanted, particularly with my backhand. I’m sorry about the first serve, but we’ll get better at that, too. Since Thiem’s first and only Grand Slam title on the hard courts at Flushing Meadows in 2020, he has not won another tournament or even made it to the finals of a tournament since the’master’s’ in the same year.

Given the presence of the unexpected Varillas, returning to at least a semi-final in Gstaad is a distinct possibility. Match by match is all I can reason with at the moment. It’s not even a matter of physical ailments, he said; “I need to relearn effective management of nervous energy.

There is little room for doubt: he will be present at the US Open. However, there are questions about his ability to win the other tournaments he plans to play in before the season-ending Grand Slam. Depending on the schedule I get in Austria, I’ll be playing in Cincinnati or Montreal. Perhaps, he said, “I can make room for Winston Salem, too.” The image is courtesy of Getty Images.