Dominic Thiem ramping up schedule, starting with Rennes Challenger

Tennis Channel Live: Thiem's Bank of Austria commercial

Dominic Thiem is ramping up his schedule as he returns from wrist surgery, starting this week at an ATP Challenger in Rennes, France.

Currently ranked No. 216, the 2020 US Open champion won his first-round match against another former Top 10 player, Gilles Simon, in front of a capacity crowd of more than 2,000.

The Austrian played the tournament when he was a teenager climbing the ranks, and has returned as he attempts to regain the form that has taken him to three Grand Slam finals.

"I am here for the third time. I really liked the city. It was a decision to come back here to start my indoor season," he told Ouest France. "I'm going to be very busy, the next few weeks I expect I will play about six, seven events."

Thiem got off to a slow start and had to repeatedly delay his return to tour this season, but has said he found his game again prior to the summer hard-court stretch.

"I reached the quarterfinals at Bastad and also at Kitzbuehel," he said, referring to a summer clay-court run that also included a semifinal showing in Gstaad. "At the US Open, my first round was also good. But that was not enough against Pablo Carreno Busta. But it gives me confidence for the final portion of the season."

Among the events Thiem is scheduled to play are a new ATP 250 in Tel Aviv, and his home tournament in Vienna.