Thiem confirms return to China Open after two-year absence

BEIJING - Two-time Roland Garros finalist Dominic Thiem confirmed his return to China Open, the organizers of the Asian leading mixed-gender professional tennis tournament announced here on Wednesday.

"It's been a while since my last trip to Beijing, but I hope this will be a successful come back for me at the China Open," the world No 4 said.

"The event is outstanding and has been home in the past for lots of great players. I'm hoping that many fans come out to watch me and other top ATP Tour stars compete at the Diamond Court," Thiem added.

"Thiem's outstanding performance, charming appearance, and sharp touch have won him a large following worldwide. Thiem is going to be one of the most popular players in this year's event," said Zhang Junhui, Director of China Open Tournament.

The 25-year-old Austrian joins a star-studded China Open field that also includes rising ATP Tour contenders Stefanos Tsitsipas, Karen Khachanov, and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Having garnered 13 ATP Tour singles titles in his career, Thiem claimed a major breakthrough in March when he won the prestigious ATP Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells after beating former world No. 1 Roger Federer of Switzerland in the final.

Proving himself quite versatile, Thiem several weeks later captured a clay-court title at the Barcelona Open, that run highlighted by an impressive semifinal win over the greatest clay-court player in tennis history and two-time China Open champion, Rafael Nadal.

At Roland Garros, Thiem won one of the most dramatic matches of 2019, in the semifinals taking two days to defeat world No. 1 and six-time China Open champion Novak Djokovic, 7-5 in the fifth set.

The 185cm-tall Austrian is famous for his superb set of groundstrokes, ranging from a powerful one-handed backhand to a punishing forehand, as well as a forceful serve. The past two years witnessed his holistic development with increasing comfort at the net as he reached the career-high 4th place on ATP rankings.

The 16th edition of the China Open will take place from September 22 to October 6 at the National Tennis Center of China.