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According to tennis commentator Geoff Chizever, Dominic Thiem's struggles over the past couple of years on tour reflect how "brutal" the sport of tennis is.
Thiem was considered one of the most promising players on tour during the late-2010s. With a first Grand Slam title to his name at the 2020 US Open, the Austrian rose with a lot of potential. However, his career turned on its head after he suffered a wrist injury during the second half of 2021.
The injury forced him out of several tournaments and Thiem has been on a constant decline in the rankings ever since.
In a conversation on the Tennis Channel-Inside In podcast, Chizever reflected on the Austrian difficult journey.
"It's so brutal to watch. I feel so bad and I think, instead of being that negative on Thiem, I think Thiem's struggle tells you so much about how brutal tennis is," he said.
The commentator also harshly remarked that the former World No. 3 will never return to the top 10 of the ATP rankings during his career, reflecting on the way the Austrian has been playing of late.
"I agree [that Thiem will not get back to the top 10 of the ATP rankings ever]. I watched him in Davis Cup and that was indoor tennis. So, it's not where he wants to be. When he lost to Borna Coric, that's a fine loss. He lost to Borna Gojo. On paper, not a great loss. But, when I watched it, it was like, it made sense why he lost," observed Chizever.
He said that Theim's fate can be chalked up to the difficulty of the sport.
"I just like to chalk it up for how incredibly difficult the sport of tennis is. It's just crazy," he added.
Thiem currently holds the No. 96 spot in the ATP rankings.
"It's how subtle the margins are" - Tennis commentator on Dominic Thiem being quickly overtaken by others on tour
Tennis commentator Chizever reflected on the mere margins that separate players on tour using the rapid downfall of Dominic Thiem to emphasize his point.
It did not take long for Thiem to stumble down the rankings after suffering the injury in 2021. During the podcast, Chizever observed that if any player takes "a little bit of time" off the main tour, everyone below them in the rankings starts to get better and surpasses them.
"They always say this about the hardest workers in the sport, the fitness is there, the drive is there, but if you just take off a little bit of the time, you lose that whippiness in your wrist. Then, all of a sudden, everyone below you is getting better. It's how subtle the margins are," he stated.
Dominic Thiem was last seen in action at the Rio Open, where he suffered a first-round defeat against Thiago Moura Monteiro.
