Dominic Thiem receives wildcard for 2022 Millenium Estoril Open

Former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem, who missed a large chunk of the ATP Tour during the second half of last year, received a wildcard for the 2022 Millennium Estoril Open.The Austrian sustained a wrist injury at the Mallorca Open in June last year and could not play at either Wimbledon or the US Open in 2021.

A comeback at the 2022 Marbella Challenger in Spain saw Thiem outplayed by Pedro Cachin of Argentina, who wrapped up the first-round clash 6-3, 6-4.

The Estoril Open, which began in 2015 is played at the sports complex of Clube de Ténis do Estoril in Cascais along the Portuguese Riviera.

Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas is the defending champion of the event.

Dominic Thiem looks for a return-to-form in Portugal

For Dominic Thiem, who had a nine-month hiatus prior to the ATP Challenger in Marbella, the Estoril Open will be an opportunity to get back to form on his preferred surface, claycourt. The Austrian made it to the finals at Roland Garros in 2018 and 2019, losing to Rafael Nadal on both occasions.

Thiem was at his best in the COVID-interrupted 2020 season, making his way to the finals of both the Australian Open and the US Open. In Melbourne, Thiem lost a five-set classic against Novak Djokovic but got the better of Alexander Zverev in five sets to win his first Grand Slam title in New York.

The Austrian's return from a two-set deficit to register a title win was the first time since the 2004 French Open that a player won a Grand Slam final after being down two sets.

Following the high of 2020, 2021 proved to be a forgettable one for Dominic Thiem, who was plagued by either injury or lack of form, which led to uncharacteristic and early losses along with several pull-outs, which included the Tokyo Olympics.

With a total of 17 ATP tour titles in his kitty, Thiem is currently ranked World No. 51. He was expected to make his return at the 2022 Australian Open but subsequently decided against playing in Melbourne due to concerns surrounding match fitness. Thiem set a return date for Cordoba during the South American claycourt swing.

However, withdrawals from the Cordoba Open, Rio Open and Chile Open followed due to a knuckle injury and Thiem had to wait for the challenger in Marbella to make a brief return to action. The Austrian was slated to take part in the ATP 250 event in Marrakech, but tested positive for COVID-19 and had to miss the event along with the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Having recovered from COVID-19, Dominic Thiem will be hoping for better luck when he gets to Lisbon for the Millennium Estoril Open