Dominic Thiem missed nine months of tennis due to a wrist injury that required two separate rehab processes and that has significantly impacted his ranking.
Thiem will play at next month's Wimbledon Championships, but with a protected ranking. That is because he fell outside the Top 150 of the ATP rankings and that automatically prevents him from securing a main draw berth.
With a protected ranking, ATP players have the option to use their original ranking before injury (provided it lasts at least six months) to enter a select number of events after their return to action.
Thiem rejoined the Tour at the end of March, playing at the Marbella Challenger. But the Austrian has yet to really find his footing. The long layoff has left him struggling both physically and with his tennis. It has not been a productive return for the man from Vienna.
He has lost in each of his last five matches in all competitions and on his beloved clay courts. This raises significant doubt about whether he will make an impression at Roland Garros later this month as he chases his first win of the season in Geneva this week.
Thiem was ranked in the Top 10 when he suffered a debilitating injury while competing in Mallorca last summer. It now appears that he wants to restore his confidence, and losing a lot of matches will not help with that.
The 28-year-old is a former runner-up at Roland Garros, losing twice to Rafael Nadal. But it is questionable he will even string more than two match wins at the clay major in a few weeks.
Thiem will be among a long list of ATP players who will use a PR to play Wimbledon. Other players who will cash in on this privilege include Borna Coric, Aljaz Bedene, Yuki Bhambri, and Pedro Sousa.
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