Former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem of Austria collected his first tour-level win in 14 months on Tuesday in Bastad, Sweden.
Back from a right wrist injury, Thiem battled for a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory over Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori in a first-round match at the Nordea Open.
It was the 2020 U.S. Open champion’s first win since Rome in May 2021.
“It’s a long time,” Thiem said in his on-court interview. “… 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.”
Thiem, 28, will face No. 4 seed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in the second round of the clay court ATP 250 event.
Thiem is a 17-time winner on the ATP Tour. His last trophy came courtesy of his five-set triumph against Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the 2020 U.S. Open final.
–Field Level Media
