'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Dominic Thiem made his return to competitive tennis in fine fashion, beating World No. 293 Lucas Miedler 6-1 6-2 at the Generali Austrian Pro Series.
Playing a tennis match for the first time since having lost to Italian Gianluca Mager in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Rio Open, Dominic Thiem showed few signs of rust as he swatted aside his compatriot in straight sets. Earlier in the day, Austrian Jurij Rodionov had faced off against former World No. 8 Jurgen Melzer to kick off the regional tournament being held at a tennis facility in Südstadt.
Dominic Thiem gets into his groove on his beloved clay
Taking no prisoners in his first match since late February, Thiem was in his element right from the start. He broke his opponent twice en route to a one-set lead, and never looked back from there.
The tournament, being held in the southern part of the city, is following the traditional rules of tennis - six games to win a set and two sets to win a match. That is a departure from other local tournaments being held during the coronavirus-enforced lockdown like the UTS Tour, which is following "Fast-4" rules.
You'd think that the traditional tennis format being followed would make for a more competitive match. But that was far from the case in this match, as Thiem completely dismantled his lackluster opponent.
That said, players like Miedler should be given a bit of leeway. This was obviously the 23-year-old's first match after months of worldwide lockdown, and there were no real stakes either.
That didn't stop Dominic Thiem from showing his dedication and drive though, as he belted 18 forehand winners in a complete annihilation of his opponent.
Thiem made sure to have enough fun during his first match in months too. On match-point at 5-2 40-0, he hit a tweener volley at the net - before putting the match to bed with a huge smash.
It seemed like only a month ago that Dominic Thiem was hammering winner after winner past Rafael Nadal at Melbourne, before narrowly losing to Novak Djokovic in the final of the 2020 Australian Open. With Indian Wells looming large, the 2019 Indian Wells defending champion looked primed for a great 2020 season - before the tournament was postponed and ultimately called off due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Dominic Thiem says he's happy to be playing again
There is reason to believe that had there been no pandemic, Dominic Thiem would've been on his way to racking up some big wins in the European clay season. The Austrian has long been touted as the successor of "El Matador", the one who is destined to reign on the terre-battue of Paris when the 33 year-old Rafael Nadal hangs up his shoes.
Having lost to Nadal in the 2018 and 2019 Roland Garros finals, Thiem seems to be getting one step closer to the title every year.
While being interviewed by ServusTV after beating Miedler, Dominic Thiem said he was happy with his level of play in the match. He also said that the conditions of the court were almost perfect for him - and that they were quite like Roland Garros.
