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World number 15 Dominic Thiem has withdrawn from the next month's Australian Open. The same was confirmed by the Austrian tennis star on Tuesday. The 28-year-old took to social media to confirm his decision to not take part in the season-opening Grand Slam due to an injury.
Meanwhile, the tennis ace also conveyed that he will start his season in South America by participating in the Cordoba Open in Argentina.
"As you all know, I came back home to Austria to recover after the hard practice sessions I had in Dubai and the slight setback in my preparation. I am now feeling well again, my wrist is in optimal conditions and I am practicing normally with very good intensity," he mentioned in his statement.
"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: I will start the season in South America at the Cordoba Open in Argentina, 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. I will miss the Australian fans but I will be back in 2023," he added.
Thiem has not participated in a competitive event since June which was when he suffered a detachment of the posterior sheath of the ulnar side of his right wrist. This injury happened during the match against Adrian Mannarino at the Mallorca Championships. Thiem had also opted out of the ATP Cup and Sydney Tennis Classic, an ATP 250 event. Thiem was set to lead his country at the third ATP Cup and while he is not a part of the tournament, Austria has taken part.
Earlier it was confirmed that Novak Djokovic will not travel to Sydney for the season-opening ATP Cup next week as the mystery surrounding the Serb's participation in the Australian open intensified. Djokovic has declined to disclose whether he is vaccinated or not even as Tennis Australia and Victorian health officials have mandated vaccine as a prerequisite to participate in the first Grand Slam of 2022.