Thiem time is coming: Dominic Thiem will launch his comeback in the desert.
The 2020 US Open champion has signed on for the 13th annual Mubadala World Tennis Championship next month.
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The 13th edition of the Arabian Gulf’s leading exhibition event returns with full stadium capacity at the International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi December 16-18th.
Thiem, who has been sidelined since June due to a right wrist injury, has resumed training and says he's eager to launch his return.
"I was keen to find the right opportunity to make my return to the court and the Mubadala World Tennis Championship comes at a great time," Thiem said. "The Championship offers the perfect environment to continue my comeback and play against the top guys on tour."
Four-time Grand Slam finalist Thiem joins a star-studded field for the event, which features World No.8 Casper Ruud, and World No.19 Denis Shapovalov, alongside US Open champion Emma Raducanu and Olympic gold-medal champion Belinda Bencic, with three more male star names to follow.
Thiem: I am Vaccinated and Ready to Begin Comeback
The Aussie took to Instagram to post his updated vaccination status and provide an update on his wrist.
"I am very happy to announce that my recovery is going well," Thiem wrote on Instagram. "The MRI I did today showed that my wrist injury has improved significantly. A couple of weeks ago I started playing with soft balls and was able to switch to normal tennis balls during yesterday's practise session.
"My team and I strongly believe that I’ll be ready to make my comeback to competition later this year. I’ll be returning to competition in December and will be playing the MWTC 2021 in Abu Dhabi - with the objective to return to the tour for the 2022 Australian Open. Needless to say that the vaccine is needed to play both events, and in my case I have already been vaccinated."
Photo credit: Mubadala World Tennis Championship