Dominic Thiem has withdrawn from next month’s Australian Open after making adjustments to his schedule.
The world No.15 hasn’t played a competitive match since June due to a wrist injury which he sustained during the Mallorca Open in Spain. Thiem was set to play at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi earlier this month but pulled out due to fitness concerns. Instead, he returned back to his native Austria.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the 28-year-old stated that he is physically well and his wrist is in ‘optimal condition.’ However, following a discussion with his team he has decided to skip the Australian swing and instead return to the Tour at the end of January.
“I am now feeling well again, my wrist is in optimal conditions and I am practicing normally with a very good intensity. After the short holidays, my team and I have assessed all matters and we have decided to make some changes to my initial tournament schedule,” Thiem said in a statement published on Twitter.
“I will start the season in South America at the Cordoba Open in Argentina, (at the) end of January, and therefore I will not play this year at the Australian Open in Melbourne, a city that I love and where I have great memories of unforgettable matches in front of amazing crowds.”
It is the first time Thiem will miss the Australian Open since making his debut back in 2014. In 2020 he reached the final before losing in five sets to Novak Djokovic. He also reached the fourth round on three other occasions and holds a win-loss record of 19-8 at the tournament.
“I will miss the Australian fans but I will be back in 2023,” Thiem stated. “We believe this is the right decision in order to have a good return to competition. For the moment I will remain in Austria for a few more days and then head to practice outdoors and get ready for my first event of the season.”
Thiem’s start to the season will be on the South American clay courts. The Córdoba Open is a 250 event which has been a fixture on the Tour calendar since 2019. Benoit Paire, Lorenzo Sonego and Diego Schwartzman are also set to play in the tournament.
