Two-time Roland Garros finalist Dominic Thiem has found out the path to the main draw of the 2024 French Open as he gears up to play the tournament for the final time.
It's been a very rough year for the Austrian, who lost the majority of the matches he played. He didn't only lose the majority of matches, but he also played pretty badly against players who aren't even close to being ranked in the Top 100.
It's been quite a bizarre year for him, but it's also part of a broader struggle that's been going on for about three years. That's why he decided to retire at the end of the year, understanding that his career just wasn't what it used to be.
There are no guarantees that things will change because they haven't for a long time, and that's just something he has to accept. That's why this last Roland Garros will be meaningful for him.
It's a place where he made the final twice, and while he never won it, the Austrian is one of the better performers in Paris' history. It won't start in the main draw, though, as he has to play the qualifiers, and it won't be easy.
He'll start against Franco Agamenone, who is a tricky player. If he wins that match, he'll face either Otto Virtanen or Dane Sweeney in the second round of the qualifying. Both of these players are good players who can give him a lot of problems on any given day.
If he wins that match, too, he might face either Giulio Zeppieri or Stefano Travaglia, who are also very solid players, in the final round of the qualifying. All of these players would have stood no chance against Thiem years ago, but considering how he played this year, they're all capable of beating him.
Hopefully, for him and his fans, he will make the main draw and properly say goodbye to the tournament. Ending in the qualifiers would be brutal for the former finalist, but the tournament organizers made the decision not to award him a wild card.