Rafael, the 22-time Grand Slam Champion and current sixth-ranked player in the world was asked who he believes will make a comeback in 2023.
His answer was the former third-ranked player and four-time Grand Slam finalist, Dominic Thiem of Australia.
Rafa knows Thiem well as they have faced off 15 times in their careers.
Nadal holds a 6-9 edge on Thiem with the majority of matches occurring on Rafa’s beloved clay surface.
What Nadal Said
He admires Thiem’s game which was evident in his comments.
“Dominic Thiem. I like him. He’s a champion, amazing player. I have full confidence on him.”
Rafael Nadal is confident that Dominic Thiem will make the best comeback of 2023 👏
Do you agree with him? 🤔#DominicThiem #RafaelNadal #Tennis pic.twitter.com/w3HxGfCbxC
— Sportskeeda Tennis (@SK__Tennis) February 11, 2023
Where Has Thiem Been?
The 29-year-old Thiem was a fixture in the late rounds of many Grand Slams from 2018-2020.
He finally won his first title at the 2020 U.S. Open and capped off the 2020 season by being named the Sports Illustrated 2020 Tennis MVP.
During this time, Thiem was climbing the rankings and playing a lot of tennis matches.
Injuries and burnout followed in 2021.
Knee and wrist injuries prevented him from competing at Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics, and he could not play in the U.S. Open to defend his title.
2022 was equally frustrating as it was the second straight year he lost in the first round of the French Open.
Dominic Thiem, a Grand Slam champ and once the second best player on clay, is now 0-7 since coming back in 2022 from a wrist injury
Tough to see and underscores just how competitive the tour is#getty pic.twitter.com/vD4NpXkx6b
— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) May 22, 2022
For the two-time French Open finalist (2018 and 2019), this was devastating.
He is clawing his way back after falling out of the Top 300 players in the world after the French Open.
Some smaller tournament success got him back into the Top 100.
An abdominal injury cost him a viable shot at winning his first-round match against fifth-ranked Andrey Rublev at the 2023 Australian Open.
Nadal’s Endorsement Is A Promising One
Nadal’s confidence in Thiem to bounce back is good news for Thiem and the men’s game.
He has proven in the past that he can win a Grand Slam title, and now is the time for him to collect another Grand Slam title before turning 30 in September.
The men’s game is getting younger and faster following Roger Federer’s 2022 retirement so Thiem needs to capitalize now, or it may not happen again.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
