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Dominic Thiem must rebound and qualify for 2017 ATP Finals

By Harry Floyd

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - SEPTEMBER 21: Dominic Thiem of Team Europe during practice ahead of the Laver Cup on September 21, 2017 in Prague, Czech Republic. The Laver Cup consists of six European players competing against their counterparts from the rest of the World. Europe will be captained by Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe will captain the Rest of the World team. The event runs from 22-24 September. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images for Laver Cup)
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - SEPTEMBER 21: Dominic Thiem of Team Europe during practice ahead of the Laver Cup on September 21, 2017 in Prague, Czech Republic. The Laver Cup consists of six European players competing against their counterparts from the rest of the World. Europe will be captained by Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe will captain the Rest of the World team. The event runs from 22-24 September. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images for Laver Cup) /
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Dominic Thiem splashed out early at the 2017 Chengdu Open. Now, the world No. 7 must focus and lock down his spot for the end of year finals.

Dominic Thiem saw an unexpected early exit at the 2017 Chengdu Open.

The top seed was upset in his opening round match against Argentine Guido Pella. Taking just two sets to secure victory, Pella won 7-6, 6-4 over Thiem.

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Thiem remains in a strong position to qualify for the end of year ATP Finals in London. Currently, he sits in the fourth position in terms of points.

Both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have already locked down their spots at the ATP Finals.

While he is the world No. 7 on the ATP World Tour, Thiem has seen ups and downs this year. His sole title victory came in February at the Rio Open.

It could very well be that many of the top veteran players have adjusted to Thiem’s play. At just 24-years-old, the Austrian tennis star already has eight ATP singles titles to his name. Seven of those, however, came in the previous two years. He has continued to impress during certain tournaments, but not as consistently as previous years.

The upcoming weeks and the ATP Finals could be a great stage for the young Austrian to close out the year on a high note. It would be his second appearance at the ATP Finals if he qualifies as expected.

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Last year, Thiem was the eighth seed in London. Going 1-2, he defeated Gael Monfils but fell to both Novak Djokovic and Milos Raonic. The 2017 field, however, is shaping up to be extremely different.

With several top players in men’s singles out for the year due to injury, a number of young players are aiming to qualify. Just ahead of Dominic Thiem in the Race to London is NextGenATP star Alexander Zverev. The young German tennis star has an impressive five ATP singles titles in the nineteen that he has participated in. Many consider him to have a chance at challenging either Federer or Nadal at the ATP Finals.

Stay tuned to see if Dominic Thiem can recover from his loss at the Chengdu Open. If he can bounce back in the coming weeks, we could see him rise to the occasion in what would be his second career appearance at the ATP Finals.

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