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Dominic Thiem will make his way back into the top 10 of the ATP rankings sooner rather than later, reckons Borna Coric.
Croatia met Austria in the 2023 Davis Cup Qualifiers, leading to Coric and Thiem locking horns with each other in one of the singles fixtures. The former wrapped up proceedings against a struggling Thiem in under an hour and 45 minutes, winning the encounter in straight sets 7-6(3) 6-2.
Despite the Austrian still finding it hard to get back to his past rhythm, Coric is confident that the former World No. 3 will rise to the top again.
"I am sure Domi [Thiem] will be back in top 10 soon," wrote Coric on his Instagram stories on Sunday.
The Croatian also marked his admiration for Thiem, stating that it is a "privilege" to share the court with a "great champion" of the sport.
"Always a privilege to share a court with great champion of our sport, Dominic Thiem," he added.
Taking to Twitter, Coric commented on Thiem pulling off a "world class" shot during the second set of their match as well.
"Had a pretty good perspective on the shot. World class from Thiem," wrote the Croatian in his tweet.
Thiem was one of the most dominant players on tour a few years back, winning the US Open and recording a career-high ranking of No. 3 after an incredible 2020 season. However, several injuries, most notably a wrist injury, have hindered the progress of the Austrian ever since. He has now dropped to World No. 96 in the ATP rankings.
"It's a huge disappointment" - Dominic Thiem on his defeat against Borna Coric
Dominic Thiem was utterly disappointed after his straight-sets loss against Borna Coric on Sunday.
The 29-year-old had the opportunity to take the contest against Croatia to a deciding fifth match. However, he could not keep up with the pace of the game, eventually crumbling under the unrelenting power of the World No. 23.
During his post-match press conference, Dominic Thiem expressed dismay at having let his team down.
“It’s a huge disappointment. Obviously my match today, but also the fact that I couldn’t help to give my team, my country a point. We lost 1-3, I lost two points out of that, so it’s not a good weekend for me, so the disappointment is big right now,” conveyed the Austrian.
It has been a rough start for the former US Open champion on tour in 2023. He suffered defeats in the first round of the Australian Open and qualifiers at the Adelaide International 1 and is yet to register a win since the turn of the new year.
