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Dominic Thiem, the 2020 U.S. Open champion, will play the Winston-Salem Open for the second consecutive year.
The former World No. 3 has risen more than 100 spots in the Pepperstone ATP Tour rankings as he works his way back into top form. Thiem, 29, suffered a right wrist tear in June of 2021 when he was ranked in the top five. He is currently ranked No. 116.
The Austrian came back from two sets down in the 2020 U.S. Open final against German Alexander Zverev to win his first major title in a fifth set tie breaker. Thiem has won 16 ATP, including the 2019 Indian Wells Open, where he defeated five-time champion Roger Federer in the final.
Thiem is one of only two players with at least five wins over Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The other player is Andy Murray.
“We are thrilled to have Dominic return to this event. He was a fantastic addition to last year’s field, too, and we know the fans really enjoyed seeing him. We are excited to welcome him back,” said Jeff Ryan, tournament director of the Winston-Salem Open.
The 2023 event will take place from Aug. 19-26 at the Wake Forest University Tennis Complex with a total financial commitment of more than $850,000. The Winston-Salem Open is an ATP World Tour 250 event with a 48-player draw in singles and 16 teams in doubles.
Thiem made it to the round of 16 in 2022 in Winston-Salem, where he fell to Jack Draper of Great Britain, who is also in this year’s field.
Gaël Monfils accepted another wild card. The tournament still has two more wild cards into the singles competition to award.
They join a field led by Borna Coric, a Croat ranked No. 16 in the world, and defending champion Adrian Mandarino, ranked No. 27. Coric lost to Carlos Alcarez 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals of the Madrid Open in May in his best tournament of the year.
Mandarino, the top-ranked Frenchman in the world, defeated Laslo Djere of Serbia 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 in last year's final. Djere, ranked 38th, also returns.
Two other former winners, No. 23 Pablo Carreno Busta (2016) and No. 32 Roberto Bautista Agut, have also committed (2017).
The top two Americans in the field are Marcos Giron, a former NCAA singles champion currently ranked No. 69, and Brandon Nakashima, a 21-year-old from San Diego who has quickly climbed to No. 70 in the ATP rankings after playing one season at the University of Virginia. The last American to win the tournament was Greensboro native John Isner, who claimed back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012.