"I want to play every week before Roland Garros, even though I know it will be almost impossible to fight for the title"

Dominic Thiem has revealed that he hopes to play every week before Roland Garros because the tournament is "particularly important" for him. The former World No. 3 admitted, though, that it would be "almost impossible" for him to contend for the French Open title this year.

The 28-year-old is set to return to action at this week's Serbia Open ATP 250 tournament in Belgrade. He will be competing in his first ATP tour event since injuring his wrist at the Mallorca ATP 250 grasscourt tournament in June.

Thiem also recently received a wildcard to compete at the 2022 Estoril Open ATP 250 tournament, which will be held from 25 April to 1 May next week.

The Austrian made his competitive return at the Marbella Challenger last month, where he fell to Pedro Cachin in the opening round. He has withdrawn from several scheduled events so far in 2022, including last week's Monte-Carlo Masters due to COVID-19.

In his pre-tournament press conference in Belgrade, Thiem discussed his plans to play a heavy schedule on clay to prepare for Roland Garros.

"I'm confident in my chances and I know it's vital to fight for every point and recover after so much downtime," the 28-year-old said. "It will take me a few weeks to get back to my best level, but this event marks the start of my season. I want to play every week before Roland Garros because this tournament is particularly important for me, even though I know it will be almost impossible to fight for the title. I don't have high expectations, but I intend to fight and play as many matches as possible, to test myself against tough opponents."

The current World No. 54 will face 80th-ranked John Millman in the opening round of the Serbia Open tomorrow. A victory would see him meet World No. 38 Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round after the Serb thrashed Richard Gasquet 6-0, 6-3 on Monday.

The 2020 US Open champion could then face World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals in Belgrade. He holds a 5-7 head-to-head record against the 20-time Grand Slam winner and a 3-3 record on claycourt.

Dominic Thiem is a two-time Roland Garros runner-up

Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal after the 2019 French Open final

Dominic Thiem is a two-time Roland Garros finalist, having lost to Rafael Nadal in both the title matches he has contested in Paris. The 13-time champion downed the Austrian 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 and 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 in the 2018 and 2019 finals respectively.

The 28-year-old holds an impressive 28-8 (78%) overall record at the French Open. He was defeated in five sets by Pablo Andujar in the opening round in 2021.