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Despite playing a slew of exhibition tournaments across Europe during the COVID-19 lockdown, Dominic Thiem crashed to a lopsided defeat against Filip Krajinovic in the opening round at the 2020 Cincinnati Masters. Thiem won just three games in his first competitive match in over six months.
However, the World No. 3 will not be unduly worried about his form as he looks forward to his first appearance at a Grand Slam tournament as the second seed. Following the withdrawal of defending champion Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem is the highest seed in the bottom half of the draw at the US Open.
The three-time Grand Slam finalist will open his seventh campaign at Flushing Meadows against Spain's Jaume Munar. Thiem has a perfect 3-0 record over Munar, but all three of their previous meetings have been on clay.
Although both men lost in the opening round in their last appearance at the tournament (in 2019), Dominic Thiem will likely have too much firepower for the 23-year-old.
For a place in the third round, Dominic Thiem is slated to face either India's Sumit Nagal or American Bradley Klahn. The Austrian has never faced either player on tour before, but his superior experience and big-match pedigree should be enough to take him into the Round of 32.
Dominic Thiem faces an early test of his title credentials against 2014 champion Marin Cilic
In the third round, Dominic Thiem is slated to face 2014 champion Marin Cilic.
The 31st seeded Cilic is winless in two matches against Dominic Thiem, with both meetings unfolding on hardcourt (2016 Brisbane quarterfinal, 2019 Coupe Rogers third round). But the Croat, who reached the fourth round at his last two Grand Slam tournaments (2020 Australian Open, 2019 US Open), will fancy his chances against Thiem in New York.
If Dominic Thiem manages to survive Cilic, he could next meet 15th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime or 2012 US Open champion Andy Murray.
The 20-year-old Auger-Aliassime is one of the form players this year, with only Novak Djokovic (21), Gael Monfils (18), Andrey Rublev (15) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (15) having won more matches than him. But the Canadian has never previously been past the third round at a Grand Slam, and would be the clear underdog if he comes up against Dominic Thiem - whom he has never met before.
However, Andy Murray, a wildcard at the 2020 US Open who is 2-2 against Thiem, could present a far more formidable challenge to the Austrian. The former World No. 1 has recorded 45 of his 189 Slam match wins at the US Open.
It remains to be seen, however, if Murray's resurfaced hip can withstand three consecutive best-of-five-set matches.
For a place in his first US Open semifinal, Dominic Thiem may have to lock horns against one of 11th seed Karen Khachanov, 25th seed Milos Raonic, 21st seed Alex De Minaur or eighth seed Roberto Bautista Agut.
Thiem has a winning 2-1 record against Khachanov, with their lone Grand Slam meeting (2019 Roland Garros quarterfinal) going the way of the Austrian. Thiem has split his four previous meetings with the big-serving Raonic, but the pair has yet to meet in a Grand Slam tournament.
The World No. 3 will have happy memories of playing against De Minaur; he is unbeaten in that two-match rivalry which includes a straight-sets win in the first round of the 2017 US Open. However, Thiem has a 1-3 losing record against Bautista Agut, with their lone previous Grand Slam meeting (2015 Australian Open first round) going the way of the Spaniard.
Dominic Thiem has improved massively on hardcourt, as his run to the final at the 2019 ATP Finals and the 2020 Australian Open shows. But to reach his first US Open semifinal, the 26-year-old will likely face his most difficult test against Bautista Agut.
If he manages to get past that hurdle, Dominic Thiem could come up against either last year's finalist Daniil Medvedev or last year's semifinalist Matteo Berrettini in the Round of 4. And both Medvedev and Berrettini have the game to trouble the 2018 US Open quarterfinalist.
Although the duo haven't met in a Grand Slam before, Thiem has won two of his three previous meetings against Medvedev. The Austrian meanwhile has split his four previous clashes with Berrettini, but he did beat the Italian in their lone Grand Slam matchup - in the third round of Roland Garros 2018.
If Dominic Thiem manages to successfully navigate his way through the bottom half of the 2020 US Open draw, he will probably face the most difficult opponent of his campaign - 17-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
In their most recent meeting, in the 2020 Australian Open final, Thiem squandered a two sets to one lead before going down in five. It goes without saying that if the duo meet for the 2020 US Open title, Dominic Thiem will have his work cut out.
