Dominic Thiem is set to make his long-awaited comeback to tennis after announcing that he will take part at the Marbella Challenger next week.
The Austrian was granted a wildcard to compete at the Marbella event, as he announced the news on Instagram.
He said: “Hi everyone, I wanted to let you know that I will be playing this upcoming week a tournament in Marbella, Spain. I want to start getting contact with the competition after all these months and I believe this is the right way to start.
“It’s been a very, very tough period for me and to go back to competition is what I need. To step on a tennis court and compete is what I have been waiting for so long and as you know I had a lot of setbacks. I know this will be a slow process of getting back to the top level, but I am ready to work hard and start humble.
“I want to thank the tournament director for his invitation at the @andaluciaopen. Thanks also to you all for the support!”
Thiem is now set to play in his first tournament since taking part at the Mallorca Open in June, as a wrist injury forced him to pull out of Wimbledon last year.
It was the start of an agonising period for the 28-year-old, who also ended up missing the US Open after facing a setback in his recovery from a wrist injury.
The former world no.3 was then focused on being ready for the 2022 season, but missed the first three months of the calendar year.
However, it now appears that he is ready to make his comeback when the ATP Tour event gets underway on March 28.
