DOMINIC THIEM recorded his first ATP Tour victory since May 2021 at the Nordea Open in Sweden.
The former US Open champion has struggled since returning from nine months out with a wrist injury in March, losing his first seven matches.
Thiem chose not to play at Wimbledon and instead dropped down to the Challenger Tour, where he registered a win in Salzburg last week against Filip Misolic.
In the winner's circle once again! 🙌@domithiem scores his first win tour-level win since Rome 2021 as he defeats Ruusuvuori 3-6 6-1 7-6!@NordeaOpen | #nordeaopen pic.twitter.com/qyraM5yQoZ
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 12, 2022
The Austrian lost in the second round but has moved on to Bastad, where he came from a set down to defeat Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori 3-6 6-1 7-6 (5).
Thiem, whose ranking has fallen to 339, said in his on-court interview: “It’s a long time. My last victory was in Rome in 2021, it feels like a different world somehow.
“Many, many things happened. It was tough, but it was also a very good experience I think, for life in general. I’m so happy that I got this first victory here today.”
In the second round, Thiem will take on Spanish fourth seed Roberto Bautista Agut.
