By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Reigning US Open champion Dominic Thiem has withdrawn from the Flushing Meadows—and ended his 2021 season—as he recovers from a wrist injury.
Photo credit: Pete Staples/US Open Facebook
Dominic Thiem won't be defending his US Open title this month.
Reigning US Open champion Thiem has withdrawn from the Flushing Meadows—and ended his 2021 season—as he recovers from a right wrist injury. Thiem sustained the wrist injury in his Mallorca Open opener in June and has not played since.
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The sixth-ranked Austrian said he suffered a setback while hitting during a training session last week. Doctors examined his wrist and advised Thiem to take time out to rest his wrist.
"I'm really disappointed not to be able to defend the title in New York, but I haven't recovered from the wrist injury I suffered back in June at the Mallorca Open," Thiem said in a statement posted on Twitter. "The past six weeks I've been following the medical advice, wearing the wrist splint, doing exercise to stay in shape before starting to train back on the court.
"My recovery was going really well, but then last week I hit a ball during training and started to feel some pain again. I went straight to see the doctors.
"After some tests, they said my wrist needs more time, so we've all agreed on being conservative to give my wrist some time to recover."
Reigning US Open champion Thiem joins five-time US Open champion Roger Federer, who announced he will undergo a third surgery on his right knee that will end his season, in pulling out of the season's final Grand Slam tournament. Rafael Nadal's status for the US Open is uncertain as he continues recovery from a foot injury.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will play to complete the calendar Grand Slam and to take sole possession of the all-time men's Grand Slam mark as he aims for his 21st Grand Slam crown in New York.
The US Open begins on August 30th.
Thiem has posted a 9-9 record in a 2021 season ravaged by injury and the break he took to recharge after struggling for motivation.
The 27-year-old Austrian endured opening-round exits in four of eight tournament starts this year, including Roland Garros where he was runner-up to Rafa Nadal in 2018 and 2019.
The owner of 17 career titles, Thiem is hoping to heal the wrist with rest and rehab.
Last September, a tough Thiem battled back from two sets down to defeat Alexander Zverev 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(6) in the first US Open final ever decided in a fifth-set tiebreaker.
After stumbling at the finish line of three prior Grand Slam finals, Thiem was a marathon man staging a stunning rally to win the first US Open championship decided in a fifth-set tiebreaker.
The son of tennis coaches dropped to his back in celebration floored by finally realizing the dream.
"Definitely I achieved a life goal, a dream of myself, which I had for many, many years," Thiem said. "Of course, as a kid, as well, when I started to play tennis. But back then it's so far away. Then I got closer and closer to the top.
"At one point I realized that, Wow, maybe one day I can really win one of the four biggest titles in tennis. I put a lot of work in. I mean, I dedicated basically my whole life until this point to win one of the four majors. Now I did it."
Thiem joined legendary Pancho Gonzalez as just the second man in history to battle from back 2 sets down and win a US Open final.