Dominic Thiem: can the world No. 8 get back on track in 2017?

Dominic Thiem losses to Nikoloz Basilashvili in his opening match at the Sofia Open. He is now 5-4 to start his 2017 tour.

Dominic Thiem falls short at the 2017 Sofia Open.

The world No. 8 was upset by Basilashvili 6-4, 6-4 in the round of 16, his first match of the tournament. Thiem was the top seed at the tournament.

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Starting the year 5-4, Thiem has some ground to make up in the coming weeks.

The 23-year-old Austrian tennis player did reach the fourth round at the Australian Open last month. He was defeated there by David Goffin in four sets. At Melbourne Park, Thiem was the higher seed against Goffin.

The young tennis player remains searching for his first Grand Slam. He does have 7 career singles titles on tour, but another will not come this year at the Sofia Open.

Thiem is set to play in Rotterdam next week. There, he is the second highest seed behind Marin Cilic. If Thiem wants to be considered among the best in men’s singles tennis, he must prove it over the course of the next several tournaments. The early exit this week does not help his case. Fortunately for Thiem, he is just 23-years-old and has already proven himself to be a force in men’s singles tennis.

Rotterdam will be a major test for the young tennis player. With both Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka missing the tournament, he has a chance to go deeper than expected and pick up some much needed points.

Stay tuned to see how Dominic Thiem fares in the coming weeks.

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