Dominic Thiem's French Open swansong gets off to a blistering start

If we were to rewind a few years, it would have seemed ludicrous to fathom that Dominic Thiem, the Austrian tennis star, would not be in the main draw at the French Open. And yet, to the astonishment of the tennis world, the French Tennis Federation denied Thiem a coveted wild card for the tournament, electing instead to allocate a majority of the slots to their homegrown French players. How did such a situation come to pass?

A former world No. 3, Thiem had previously reached the finals of the French Open in 2018 and 2019, as well as the 2020 Australian Open, before triumphantly clinching his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2020 U.S. Open. However, fate dealt a cruel blow when Thiem suffered a debilitating wrist injury less than a year after his momentous breakthrough. This forced him to endure a grueling 10-month absence from the esteemed ATP Tour, resulting in a precipitous decline in his ranking.

While Thiem valiantly battled his way back into the top 100 last year, he has struggled to recapture the form and unwavering consistency that once positioned him among the sport's elite players. Just a few weeks ago, Thiem announced his plan to retire later this year, thereby rendering this year's French Open in May a potentially bittersweet swansong on Roland Garros.

Bereft of a wild card, Thiem can only secure a place in the main draw through the grueling trials of the qualifying rounds. Thankfully, he embarked upon this arduous journey on Monday with aplomb, vanquishing the Italian Franco Agamenone in a hard-fought battle, emerging victorious 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

The 30-year-old Thiem unleashed a stunning array of 41 winners against Agamenone, propelling himself into the second round of qualifying after an intense battle that lasted two hours and 21 minutes. To secure a coveted spot in the main draw, Thiem must now conquer two more opponents.

Meanwhile, the legendary Rafael Nadal, a record-breaking 14-time champion, stepped on court to train on Monday, marking what is expected to be his final appearance at the French Open. The 37-year-old Spanish maestro has hinted at the possibility that the 2024 season may bring an end to his career before retirement beckons. Brace yourselves for an overwhelming surge of emotions in the French capital.