Australian Open 2022: Dominic Thiem withdraws as precautionary measure to wrist injury

The Australian Open 2022 will be played January 17-20. Meanwhile, Dominic Thiem has decided to withdraw as a precautionary measure to his wrist injury.

In the opening setback for Australian Open 2022 and tennis fans, Dominic Thiem of Austria decided to withdraw from the year's opening Grand Slam. It happens to be a precautionary measure, having just recovered from a wrist injury. He also pulled out of the 2022 ATP Cup due to a non-COVID-related illness.

Instead, Thiem will begin his season in South America. Since June, he has been out of action, injuring his right wrist at the Mallorca Championships. Consequently, he missed out on Wimbledon, Tokyo Olympics, US Open and the ATP Finals. The 15th ranked Austrian finished as the runner-up in the AO in 2020, losing to defending champion and reigning world number one, Novak Djokovic.

Thiem took to his Twitter handle to announce his pullout, as he wrote, "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 condition, and I am practising normally with 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."

"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. I will miss the Australian fans, but I will be back in 2023," he added.

"We believe this is the right decision 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. I take the opportunity to wish you all a Happy and successful New Year with lots of health!" concluded the one-time GS winner (US Open 2020).