"Last man before Alcaraz to beat Djokovic in a 5th set, slowly flexing his wrists again" - Tennis fans react to Dominic Thiem reaching Kitzbuhel final

Tennis fans erupted with joy as Dominic Thiem advanced to his first ATP final since 2020 on the back of a spectacular performance against Laslo Djere at the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel.

Having suffered a tear in his right wrist, which led to a nine-month-long absence from the tour between June 2021 and March 2022, Thiem has been on a mission to regain his previous form. He entered the tournament in Kitzbuhel as the World No. 116, with a 9-17 win/loss record for the season.

However, the Austrian stormed to the semifinals of the ATP 250 event with wins over Facundo Bagnis, Zhizhen Zhang and Arthur Rinderknech, winning against the latter two by battling back from a set down.

Taking on Laslo Djere for a place in the final, Thiem saved all 12 break points he faced to claim a 6-7(3), 7-5, 7-6(8) victory in three hours and 30 minutes. The 29-year-old put on a clinical performance, fending off five match points to advance to his first tour-level final since the 2020 ATP Finals.

Several fans expressed their delight at Thiem's impressive victory, with one fan bracketing the match among the year's finest.

"One of the best matches of the year! Wow! Danke, THiem! Havala, Djere!" the fan tweeted.

Another fan shared their joy at the Austrian's return, highlighting that he was the last player before Carlos Alcaraz to defeat Novak Djokovic in a five-set encounter. Thiem defeated Djokovic 6,2, 3-6, 7-5, 5-7, 7-5 in the 2019 French Open semifinal.

"In the backdrop of Carlos Alcaraz's rise, the last man to before him to beat Novak Djokovic in a 5th set, the once-exiled prince is slowly flexing his writs again," the fan commented.

One user commiserated with Djere as he fell victim to another player competing on their home soil, mentioning the Serb's recent defeat to Alexander Zverev in the German Open final.

"Oh nahhh first Zverev, now Thiem... poor Djere can't catch a break playing against atp player's home soil," the user posted.

Here are a few more fan reactions to Dominic Thiem's victory:

"My first final on the tour since my wrist injury, I couldn't be happier that it's at home" - Dominic Thiem on reaching Kitzbuhel final

Dominic Thiem advances to the Generali Open final

Elated at reaching his first tour-level final in three years, Dominic Thiem emphasized that his achievement was made even more special as it came on home soil.

"It's very special today, my first final on the tour since my wrist injury. I couldn't be happier that it's here in Austria at home," he said in his post-match interview.

Thiem will be up against Sebastian Baez in the final on Saturday, August 5. Baez defeated Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4 to book his spot against the Austrian.

Should Dominic Thiem emerge victorious in the final, he will claim his first tour-level title since his triumph at the 2020 US Open. Currently up to World No. 89 in the live rankings, a victory will also help the 29-year-old to break back into the ATP top 80.