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After a breakthrough year during which he reached the Australian Open final and won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open, Dominic Thiem has been winding down his season in stop-start fashion.
Most recently, the Austrian crashed out of his home tournament in Vienna (where he was the defending champion), losing to eventual champion Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinal. He then withdrew from the Paris Masters after suffering a toe injury during the Vienna event.
Dominic Thiem's manager Herwig Straka has now revealed that the Austrian is all set to feature at the Nitto ATP Finals in London later this month. Straka claimed that Thiem has recovered from his injury, while also drawing comparisons with other players who struggle to transition from one surface to another.
Dominic Thiem is fine again: Herwig Straka
Straka, who was the tournament director of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, stated that Dominic Thiem is fit and ready for the ATP Finals, where he was the runner-up last year.
"Dominic is fine again," assured Herwig Straka.
The Austrian suffered seemed barely able to run during the second set of his 6-7 2-6 defeat to Rublev in Vienna. After the match, he complained about blisters on his feet, which regularly trouble him on indoor hardcourts.
Straka, however, is not too worried about that anymore.
"With a week of tennis training, Dominic should be back on track," said the Vienna tournament director. "Don't worry, Dominic has his toes taped several times before each match. He also has shoes with special insoles that are tailored to the millimeter. Nevertheless, he always has problems when changing to a different surface. Nadal also has weak points."
The 27-year-old from Austria has not been in the richest vein of form since his triumph at Flushing Meadows. Prior to his loss at Vienna, Thiem lost to Diego Schwartzman in a five-set quarterfinal at Roland Garros.
Despite a spirited effort, the Austrian seemed to be suffering from fitness issues the whole tournament in Paris. That was particularly evident in his fourth round win against Hugo Gaston, when he dropped a two-set lead to win the match in five.
Even if he does regain full fitness in time for the ATP Finals, it remains to be seen whether Dominic Thiem is match-ready for the grueling schedule at the tournament against the world's best players.
