Today, tennis fans around the world rose to another discouraging news from Dominic Thiem. The Austrian player took to his Instagram to announce his withdrawal from Indian Wells as well as Miami.

Dominic last played in the professional circuit in 2021 at the ATP 250 Mallorca Open. Receiving a first-round bye, the Austrian started his Mallorca campaign from the second round. However, he was forced to retire mid-match after suffering a right wrist injury. The 28-year-old has been out of the professional circuit since then.

Theim announces his withdrawal from Indian Wells and Miami

Being out of the 2021 season after the injury, fans anticipated Thiem’s return at the Australian Open this year. However, Thiem decided to pull out of the ‘happy slam’ and announced his return to the circuit during the South American clay-court swing. While practicing in Cordoba, Thiem suffered a right finger injury, which further forced him to retire from the Cordoba Open.

Also read- Naomi Osaka’s Direct Entry Into the Main Draw After Camila Giorgi’s Withdrawal Spells Good News for Ukrainian Star Dayana Yastremska

Seeing Thiem’s recovery through his social media updates, fans were hopeful of his return at the Indian Wells Masters. Now, they will have to wait till the start of the clay-court season to see the Austrian back in action.

“Hello everybody, I wanted to give you a quick update. I had really good practice weeks. The wrist is perfectly fine. The hand is getting better and better. But still, I decided to pull out of Indian Wells and of Miami, to start on the clay court,” Thiem stated.

Reasoning his decision further, the Austrian revealed, “It’s still the surface where I feel most comfortable. So, I think it’s a perfect time to start there.”

The 2019 Indian Wells champion also apologized to his fans in the USA for this decision as he went on explaining his love for the tournament. He said, “I would have loved to play here in the States. I’m really sorry for my fans obviously. The last time I played here at Indian Wells, I won the tournament. So, I love to play in the States and I can’t wait to be back soon.”

Dominic Thiem at Indian Wells

Dominic Thiem first played at the BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells) in 2014, suffering a third-round loss to Julien Benneteau. In 2016, the Austrian witnessed a slightly better result by reaching the fourth round.

During his 2017 campaign at Indian Wells, the then World No.9 received a first-round bye. Using that as an advantage, he sailed through the following rounds but went down against Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarterfinal. The following year, Thiem was forced to retire mid-match in the second round after suffering an ankle injury.

After five years, it was in 2019 that Thiem hit the hammer at the right spot. Receiving a first-round bye, Thiem cruised through the following rounds with complete ease. In the final, he faced Roger Federer. Thiem, who was not willing to go home as a runner-up, left no stone unturned, and over powered the Swiss Maestro in three sets to win the tournament.

Watch this story- Perfect Backhand: Serena Williams Daughter Olympia Shows Off Her Tennis Skills