Dominic Thiem says he is overthinking things and has struggled to adjust against players that now know his game better.
The 21-year-old rose to No. 36 last September, but has since fallen to No. 49. He reached the quarterfinals of Miami, but then lost in the first round of Barcelona and Monte Carlo before reaching the quarterfinals of Munich.
"When it is close I know I have a chance," said Thiem. "I want it to be interesting. It’s very tough so far. It’s been different defending points every week and having the players know me now."
The Austrian beat Simone Bolelli in the first round at Rome, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5). "I like to play tiebreaks as that is when it gets interesting," Thiem said. "Even when I was young, I enjoyed these kind of matches. When you win in straight sets, where is the challenge."
Thiem will play Giles Simon in the next round in Rome.