Watch: Dominic Thiem returns to the practice court, strikes some cracking backhands
Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem recently posted a video on Instagram where he can be seen doing some racket training.
Thiem has been out of action since June, having injured his wrist during the Mallorca Championships. But the Austrian recently announced that the injury is on track to heal by the end of the year, with the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in December being his comeback tournament.
Here is the video that Thiem posted, with the focus area being his signature shot - the powerful one-handed backhand:
The 28-year-old appears to be striking the ball without any discomfort, indicating that his wrist injury is a thing of the past.
Dominic Thiem had also revealed in a recent blog update that he has been "working hard" to return to competitive tennis. The Austrian did add, however, that he would not "rush" things, as he was determined to avoid a recurrence of the problem.
Thiem further voiced his desire to qualify for the 2022 ATP Finals, but in the same breath admitted that it would be a difficult task.
"I have been working hard on my return, with little improvements day by day," Dominic Thiem wrote. "I am not going to rush into anything after this injury, however, I am looking forward to going back to my tour-life."
"I miss my regular tennis rhythm," he added. "Of course, the Masters 2022 would be big dream, but thatβs going to be an extremely long and tough way."
Dominic Thiem's injury has seen him fall out of the top 10 for the first time since June 2016. The former US Open champion, whose career-high ranking is No. 3, currently occupies the 15th spot in the ATP ranking charts.
Dominic Thiem & Rafael Nadal both plan to make a comeback at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships
Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal have both been out of competitive tennis for several months due to injury.
As mentioned above, Thiem hurt his wrist at the Mallorca Championships in June, and he hasn't played a single match on tour since. While the 28-year-old's injury didn't require surgery, the nature of the problem meant that he had to wait a few months before he could play tennis again.
Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, aggravated a chronic foot ailment at Roland Garros. While Nadal did make a comeback at the Citi Open in August, he brought an end to his season after a couple of matches, explaining that his foot needed rest.
Both players have since resumed training, and are well on their way to recovery. With an eye on the 2022 Australian Open, Thiem and Nadal have both confirmed their participation at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships (16-18 December).
They will be joined at the exhibition event by Casper Ruud, Denis Shapovalov and Andrey Rublev.
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