Dominic Thiem claims he has taken "huge step back" with loss to Norrie, says he will analyze his game ahead of Roland Garros
Dominic Thiem crashed out of the 2021 Lyon Open on Thursday, losing to Cameron Norrie in straight sets in the second round. Thiem's shock defeat, his second in as many weeks, has cast a shadow over his prospects at this year's Roland Garros.
The Austrian looked rather listless during the match against Norrie, winning only three points on the Brit's first serve. Thiem struggled for rhythm throughout and eventually allowed Norrie to secure his maiden win over a top-five player.
Speaking to the media after his defeat, Dominic Thiem admitted he had suffered a setback in his French Open preparations.
"It's just a huge step back, I was hoping to take the little positive signs from Madrid and Rome here, but it didn't work out," Thiem said.
Dominic Thiem later took to Instagram to express his disappointment, claiming his Lyon outing was a "bad day at the office". But the Austrian hopes to hit the practice courts to fine-tune his game ahead of Roland Garros, which begins at the end of the month.
"A bad performance on my part. Now it's time to focus on Paris and get some good training sessions again," Thiem said.
Dominic Thiem is yet to hit top gear this year, having struggled with physical and mental problems at the start of the season. The 27-year-old missed the first two Masters tournaments of the year before returning to action in Madrid, where he lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Alexander Zverev.
Thiem failed to build on his run at Caja Magica and lost to Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in the third round of the Italian Open.
The defeat in Lyon has added to Thiem's woes, but the Austrian said the early exit wouldn't prompt him to take a wildcard into the Belgrade 2 event that begins later this week. He will, instead, focus on ironing out the flaws in his game before leaving for Paris.
"I have to analyze and look now at Roland Garros," Thiem added.
Lyon win over Dominic Thiem is the biggest win of my career: Cameron Norrie
While Dominic Thiem has struggled with his form and fitness this season, Cameron Norrie has achieved several milestones. The Brit has already reached five quarterfinals this season, and he even finished as the runner-up to Albert Ramos-Vinolas at the Estoril Open.
Norrie's victory over Thiem marked his first win against a top-five player on the tour, and the Brit was unsurprisingly elated.
"I'm so pleased to win, it’s the biggest win of my career and my highest-ranked win," Norrie said in an on-court interview. "It’s such a beautiful day in Lyon… I couldn’t be happier to get the win today and to get another match on the clay before Roland Garros."