By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday, October 27, 2022
Dominic Thiem has called the end of his 2022 season hours after falling to Daniil Medvedev, 6- 6-3 in Vienna on Thursday.
The former World No.3, who returned from a nine-month hiatus due to wrist and hand injuries in March, says he plans to do more preparation and no tournaments over the next eight weeks.
“I will put full focus on the preparation so that I will be fully ready in early 2023,” Thiem said, according to Kleine Zeitung.
Thiem will take ten days for vacation and start working in mid-November with a fitness block. Then he plans to fly to the U.A.E. to practice and prepare with top players prior to heading to Australia. "At the beginning of December I will fly to the Emirates, do the preparations there and from there to Australia,” Thiem said.
The Austrian finishes at 18-16 on the season with three semifinals to his name. He will end the year just outside the Top-100 but should make the cut for the Australian Open main draw.
He lamented his performance on Thursday against Medvedev, which saw him drop his sixth consecutive match against Top-10 players.
"I don't get enough break chances against top players,” he said. “Then I'm under so much pressure when I serve that it's no longer enough."
Despite the bitter end, it has been a steady incline for Thiem over the last few months. He is playing much closer to his top form as the season comes to a close. Just a few weeks ago, he talked of his game with growing confidence.
“Since Bastad, I have the feeling that I can compete with the best again,” he said. “I feel like I'm ready for these tournaments. In the end, you have to be careful when choosing where to use the protected ranking.”
Asked if he sees himself fighting for Slam titles in the future, Thiem said he has the belief.
“I have the belief that I can do it. If not, I would give up my career,” he said. “I was at the top, among the top three in the ranking. And I do have the feeling that I am capable of fighting again for the big titles, for the Slams, and to beat anyone. Otherwise, all this hard work would be meaningless to me. I hope next year I can do it.”