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Dominic Thiem revealed the stomach issues that forced him to retire his US Open match against Ben Shelton also kept him out of training for two weeks. In the US Open second round, Shelton was 7-6 (1) 1-0 up on Thiem when the Austrian retired the match.
At the time, it was reported that Thiem retired due to some type of abdominal issue. After returning to action in late September and appearing at the Astana Open and Bratislava Challenger, Thiem is feeling well again and ready to play this week in Vienna.
"It was a long story with my stomach. After the US Open, I couldn't do anything for two weeks before I could start training again. But now I'm fine again. All I know is that it wasn't bacteria. Maybe I got some bad water or food somewhere.
I love spicy food, maybe I had too much of it," Thiem said.
Thiem on facing Stefanos Tsitsipas in his Vienna first round
Vienna first-round action will see 2020 US Open champion Thiem taking on two-time Grand Slam finalist Tsitsipas.
Going into the match, the head-to-head between the two stands at 5-5. Their last meeting came at this year's Wimbledon, where Tsitsipas earned a five-set win over Thiem. "He's the favorite for sure, but if I bring my performance to the court, I'm sure I'll have chances.
The last duels were all very close and were only decided in the tiebreak of the last set. Especially indoors, often only a few points decide," Thiem said. Thiem, 30, is set to make his 12th main draw appearance in Vienna. After failing to land a Vienna title for many years, Thiem finally made his Vienna breakthrough in 2019 when he defeated Diego Schwartzman in the final.
"In the first years here, that might have inhibited me a little. Now it's no longer like that, especially since I was able to win the tournament in 2019. I'm looking forward to that positive energy, which is incredibly helpful for me," Thiem said.