"The game is back in place" - Dominic Thiem gushing after 'pretty special' win at US Open to end Grand Slam losing streak

Dominic Thiem sounded relieved after beating 25th seed Alexander Bublik in straight sets in his US Open 2023 opener on Monday, August 28.

The unseeded Austrian - who won the 2020 Flushing Meadows title - made a solid start against Bublik, taking the first set for the loss of three games. The second set saw more dominance from Thiem, who conceded only two games.

The 29-year-old Thiem rode his momentum in the third - winning it 6-3 - to post his first win in New York since his title run three years ago. In fact, Thiem's last Grand Slam win was against Nick Kyrgios in the third round of the 2021 Australian Open.

Since then, the Austrian - returning from a long injury layoff - went 0-6 in Majors, including 0-3 this year. However, coming from a final run at Kitzbuhel last month, the Austrian ended his long Grand Slam losing run at the venue of his lone Major triumph.

In the on-court interview, Thiem said that he was happy to beat a tough-seeded opponent after an injury-enforced absence.

"Finals on home soil, the first finals as well after the injury was good, was very good for the confidence," Thiem said. "Since that, I feel like the game is back in place, and today I was facing a very, very good opponent."

About his first Grand Slam win in nearly three years, the 29-year-old added:

"Today is so pretty special, you know, I haven't won a grand slam match since Australia 21. So that's a very long time, and I couldn't have wished for, for a better place like here, you know, with all the memories with all the past experiences here."

"Some very good ones, also some rough ones, especially on this court. And so I'm, I'm super, super happy, and thank you so much for, for all the support," the Austrian said.

Dominic Thiem next plays Ben Shelton on Tuesday, August 29, for a place in the US Open third round.

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Return to the top 100 was difficult: Dominic Thiem

Dominic Thiem

Dominic Thiem was sidelined for nearly a year after injuring his wrist. That saw his ranking plummet to outside the top 350. However, with a promising run of results in recent tournaments, the Austrian is back in the top 100, at No. 81.

Talking about his first major injury, Thiem said that the recovery period was long, during which time the other players improved while he couldn't take the court. The Austrian said:

"(Returning to the) top 100 (was) very difficult and was my first major injury on my wrist, which is very important for my game, and that's just to took his time to recover, took its time to get the confidence back in the wrist. I was also out for 10 months out of the tour. All the other players improved."

He added:

"I was not able to practice well, but now I'm back on track, and it means a lot to me that this first grand slam victory after this injury happened here at the US open and time to enjoy a bit and then focus on the next round."

Following his win over Alexander Bublik, Dominic Thiem is now 14-18 on the season.