Advertisement

'Really sad': Tennis world in disbelief over Dominic Thiem drama

andrew reid
·4-min read
Pictured here, Dominic Thiem clutches at his troublesome wrist in the match at Mallorca.
Dominic Thiem's wrist injury comes less than a week before Wimbledon gets underway. Pic: Tennis TV

World No.5 Dominic Thiem's chances of playing at Wimbledon have suffered a brutal blow after injury forced the Austrian to pull out of a lead-up event in the middle of a match.

Thiem was forced to retire from his opening match at the Mallorca Open with a wrist injury that puts his participation at the All England Club in serious jeopardy.

MAJOR: Huge Serena Williams twist in Naomi Osaka's Wimbledon withdrawal

'THIS IS A MISTAKE': Tennis world stunned by shock announcement

Playing in his first grasscourt event since his opening round defeat at Wimbledon two years ago, Thiem made a fast start against France's Adrian Mannarino to take a 5-2 lead in the opening set.

But in the eighth game, Thiem struck a forehand and appeared to injure his right wrist.

After receiving a medical timeout, the 27-year-old decided against continuing the match.

The reigning Open champion has struggled for form and fitness this season and arrived in Mallorca seeking momentum after a first-round exit at the French Open.

He pulled out of next month's Tokyo Olympics to concentrate on Wimbledon and defending his grand slam title in New York.

With less than a week until Wimbledon gets underway though, the 27-year-old's prospects look grim.

Thiem's physio Alex Stober said the Austrian told him he heard a "crack" in his wrist during the match against Mannarino, but he will have to undergo tests to determine the exact extent of the injury.

"You won't know anything immediately," Stober told Austrian press.

"Cracking is never good. We're hoping it was just a slight twist, perhaps of the carpal bone... But right now everything is just speculation."

Tennis fans were gutted for Thiem after the unfortunate setback.

Thiem had already opted out of Olympics

The 2020 US Open champion joined 20-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal in announcing his withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics earlier this month.

Thiem said he wanted to concentrate on Wimbledon and then defending his only grand slam title to date - at the US Open later in the year.

"Hi everybody, I have some sad news to share with you all. After talking with my team and analysing the situation I have taken the very difficult decision to withdraw from competing in the Tokyo Olympics," the 27-year-old Austrian wrote on Twitter earlier this month.

Seen here, Dominic Thiem looks frustrated at the 2021 French Open.
Dominic Thiem was knocked out in the first round of the French Open. Pic: Getty

"For me, like all athletes, taking part in the Olympics and representing my country is a huge honour and that makes this decision even tougher.

"However, 2021 did not start as expected and I don't feel ready to play my best in Tokyo.

"My goal is to work hard the coming weeks, give my best at Wimbledon and keep training and hopefully defend my US Open title."

Thiem was knocked out of the French Open in the first round despite being a two-time runner-up in Paris.

The Austrian also missed the 2016 Rio Olympics due to fears over the Zika virus.

"I am young and I hope to be able to play for Austria at the Olympics in Paris 2024," he said.

with agencies

Watch 'Mind Games', the new series from Yahoo Sport Australia exploring the often brutal mental toil elite athletes go through in pursuit of greatness:

Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.