Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem believes he is heading in the right direction as he continues his search for his best form after a lengthy injury layoff.
The 29-year-old Austrian was out for nine months with a wrist problem before returning to action last spring.
Previously ranked a career-high No 3 in the world, Thiem lost the first seven matches of his comeback and dropped to as low as 346 in the rankings by July.
After a five-week training block in early summer, Thiem began to find his game and amassed a 23-12 win-loss record across both the Challenger and ATP tours, rising to 102 in the rankings, thanks to semi-final appearances in Gstaad, Gijon and Antwerp.
Currently in Dubai competing in the World Tennis League exhibition event, Thiem believes he’s on the right track.
Despite a narrow defeat to Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime at the WTL on Thursday, he feels he is in a good place as he puts the finishing touches to his game ahead of the start of a new season.
“I have the feeling that I’m going in a good direction. The way is positive for me, the way I’m practising, I’m very happy about it,” Thiem told The National at Dubai’s Coca Cola Arena.
“I think I’m on my way to reach the goals for the off-season, which was to get those last missing percentages. And I feel that I’m playing better, like at the end of the 2022 season, which is a good sign. Coming towards the end of the season, coming closer and closer to the first real matches again and I’m happy about it.”
Thiem admits he started playing tennis again with no expectations last March and that the training block he had after the French Open helped to raise his level and confidence.
“I told myself I have to put a little bit of pressure on myself again, to start winning matches again, and it worked out well. From 300 in the rankings to 100 in just three or four months, which was very good,” he explained.
“The direction was definitely right. Still, I was not playing at my top level again and this I wanted to switch around in the off-season. I really have the feeling I’m on a good way and at the same time the expectations are rising for the New Year.
“Still it’s going to be really difficult since I’m not seeded and I can face anybody at the beginning of any tournament. But I’m fit, I’m happy to compete and I’m looking forward to starting.
“My goal is to be on the way again, to achieve this, to be able to beat anybody, to go far in every tournament and I hope during 2023 this will happen again.”
Auger-Aliassime sealed the deal for the Kites on Thursday as he edged Thiem 7-6, 7-6 to give his side a 42-31 victory over the Hawks.
“Again Iga, the rock of our team kept us alive. Got a lot of points on the board,” said Auger-Aliassime on court.
“It was a great match, I hope the crowd enjoyed it. It was high level. Congrats to Dominic also for raising the bar and playing well.”
Earlier, in the opening mixed doubles, a three-set victory for Alexander Zverev and Elena Rybakina gave the Hawks an early 12-11 lead against Kites duo Auger-Aliassime and Sania Mirza.
In women’s singles, world No 1 Iga Swiatek claimed a hard-fought 6-4, 6-3 win over former Roland Garros runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to pull the Kites in front 23-19 entering the final clash of the day.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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Scoreline
Australia 2-1 Thailand
Australia: Juric 69', Leckie 86'
Thailand: Pokklaw 82'
The%20new%20Turing%20Test
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Monday's results
- UAE beat Bahrain by 51 runs
- Qatar beat Maldives by 44 runs
- Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait by seven wickets
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Draw for Europa League last-16
Istanbul Basaksehir v Copenhagen; Olympiakos Piraeus v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Rangers v Bayer Leverkusen; VfL Wolfsburg v Shakhtar Donetsk; Inter Milan v Getafe
Sevilla v AS Roma; Eintracht Frankfurt or Salzburg v Basel; LASK v Manchester United
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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The%20specs
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