Dominic Thiem is withdrawing from next month's Australian Open.
Thiem announced Tuesday on social media that he will begin his season later in January at the Cordoba Open in Argentina instead of at the first Grand Slam event of the year.
He has been sidelined since June because of a serious wrist injury, and his training recently was interrupted by a non-COVID illness that forced him to withdraw from the ATP Cup, where he had been scheduled to face Daniil Medvedev of Russia on Jan. 2. He also pulled out of the ATP Tour 250 event in Sydney starting Jan. 6.
Just 14 months ago, the 28-year-old Austrian was ranked No. 3 in the world but has dropped the No. 15.
"I am now feeling well again, my wrist is in optimal conditions and I am practicing with a very good intensity," Thiem said. "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 miss the Australian fans but I will be back in 2023. We believe this is the right decision in order 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."
Thiem has 17 career titles, the most recent of which was the 2020 US Open -- his first Grand Slam victory. He was the runner-up to Novak Djokovic at the 2020 Australian Open and to Rafael Nadal at the French Open in both 2018 and '19.
