The Austrian's form took a major dip over the course of the pandemic, dropping him to under the top 100 players in the world.
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Dominic Thiem was once a masive force to be reckoned with in world tennis. A rising star almost destined for the stars, he is undoubtedly one of Austria’s greatest tennis players. Thiem achieved a career-high ranking of third in 2020, the same year he emerged victorious in the US Open. Since then, however, things have been going downhill. The Austrian’s form took a major dip over the course of the pandemic, dropping him to under the top 100 players in the world after months of poor form and lack of competitive action. Fortunately for him, 2022 has been a season of redemption and at the ATP Gijon Open, he is hopeful to win a first title in what has been quite a long while. It will not be easy as his semi-final test is one of the best in the world today, Andrey Rublev.
Thiem beat fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo in the last eight 6-4, 6-3 at Gijon after an hour and 38 minutes of an in-control and convincing performance. He advanced to his second tour-level semi-final of the season by riffling his groundstrokes with powerful topspin and velocity. In July, Thiem reached the final four on clay in Gstaad. “From the first match on, I have felt great on this court,” Thiem said in his on-court interview.
“A lot of control. A super nice atmosphere and I have enjoyed playing a lot since Monday. I am super happy that I am still in the tournament at the weekend and I can play another match. It is very important for me as I am trying to climb up the rankings. The semi-finals at an ATP [Tour] event is helping a lot.”
When he next plays Andrey Rublev on Saturday, the 29-year-old will be attempting to reach his first tour-level final since the Nitto ATP Finals in 2020. Thiem’s most recent tour-level victory came in September 2020 at the US Open. Top seed Rublev advanced to his fourth tour-level final match of the season, defeating fifth seed Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-3.
The 24-year-old scored 17 winners in an explosive effort to progress after 87 minutes. Rublev, who won earlier this season in Marseille, Dubai, and Belgrade, has improved his hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals by reaching the semi-finals in Gijon.
Rublev and Thiem are not stramgers to one another, having faced each other five times so far. The Russian currently holds a narrow lead with three victories over the Austriam, a statistic Thiem would very much like to have in his favour. Being the older of the two, Thiem enjoys more title wins than the Russian, with 17 compared to Rublev’s 11. Thiem also has the higher career win percentage with 65% thanks to a 309-166 win-loss record. Rublev’s win percentage is 62% with a career win-loss record of 187-113 career win-loss record.
| Statistic | Andrey Rublev | Dominic Thiem |
|---|---|---|
| Career win-loss record | 187-113 (62%) | 309-166 (65%) |
| Singles titles | 11 | 17 |
| Head to head record | 3-2 | 2-3 |
