Last Updated on December 16, 2021
In the 2021 season, Austrian tennis player Dominic Thiem played 18 matches with nine victories. From mid-May to June, Dominic suffered four consecutive defeats, after which he suffered a ruptured tendon. In mid-August, Thiem announced an early end to the season.
Such an early end to the season resulted in the 2020 US Open winner dropping out of the top 10 of the ATP rankings for the first time since 2016 and as of the end of the year, he ranks 15th.
Why did Thiem withdraw from the Abu Dhabi tournament?
Dominic Thiem: “I was looking forward to make my return to competition at Abu Dhabi but I feel I am yet not ready to compete at the highest level.”
Oh no, not again Domi 😡 pic.twitter.com/qpxFK3Gh4V
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) December 15, 2021
The tennis player explained that he is not yet ready to play at a high level because of an injury. Thiem is recovering from a wrist injury.
“Of course I would like to play. But I haven’t had time to fully recover. The recovery process is going according to plan, there is no pain. But I have to keep working at practice.
Based on previous experience, in Abu Dhabi everyone plays with a full effort. But I’m not ready for those kind of matches. I will be ready when my forehand is 100 percent, now it is at 80 percent,” Eurosport quotes Thim as saying.
Participants of the tournament in Abu Dhabi will be Russian Andrey Rublev, Spaniard Rafael Nadal, Canadian Denis Shapovalov, British Andy Murray and Dan Evans, and also American Taylor Fritz.
Australian Open plans
No. 15 in the ATP rankings, Dominic Thiem said he will play the Australian Open anyway. The Austrian reached the Round of 16 in last year’s draw, where he lost to Grigor Dimitrov.
I’ll be here in Dubai for one more week and then I’ll fly to Sydney on December 22. I’ll spend Christmas and New Year’s there, I’ll train a lot and then I hope to play at the ATP Cup.
Also, I might play the ATP 250 tournament before the Australian Open. But it will all depend on my condition and need for playing practice. But I can guarantee you I’ll play at the Australian Open, even if I don’t play a single match,” Eurosport quotes Tim as saying.
In preparing for the new season Dominic will help Portuguese physiotherapist Carlos Costa, who previously worked with Aslan Karatsev, Tommy Haas and Ana Ivanovic, reports Heute.
