Dominic Thiem admits he is lacking confidence following yet another early tournament exit. Thiem, a former world No 3 who is now ranked at No 106 in the world, was given a main draw wildcard into the Miami Masters. On Thursday, Thiem exited Miami in the first round after suffering a 7-6 (7) 6-2 loss to Lorenzo Sonego.
For Thiem, it was his fifth consecutive defeat and the Austrian now owns a 1-8 record in 2023. “It was a tight first set. Unfortunately, after the tie-break, I lost my tension for a very short time, then I’m 4-0 down and only then can I get back into the game – the holes are just not good.
The slight loss of concentration or the slight drop in tension was also the reason why I lost the second set,” Thiem said, per Tennis Up To Date.
Thiem: I’m lacking confidence
“Of course, there is also a bit of a lack of self-confidence, and I have to make sure that I get that back,” Thiem added.
Thiem, the 2020 Us Open champion, suffered a wrist injury in 2021 June. In 2021 March, Thiem returned to action after being sidelined for 10 months. A year has passed since Thiem returned to tennis but he is still not anywhere near the game that was once making him a top player.
Andy Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion, recently said that Thiem’s struggles are mental. “The truth is that he is going through a very complicated situation. He loves this sport more than everything else and I think what is happening to him is something mental.
He needs to win a big match to completely overturn the situation,” Murray said of Thiem’s struggles. Now, Thiem will turn his focus on the clay season and try to find some form and rhythm there. In the past, Thiem made two finals at the French Open and he was widely regarded as one of the premiere clay-court player.
