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Tennis: Austria's Dominic Thiem ruled out of Australian Open

December 28, 2021

The 2020 US Open champion and former runner-up in Melbourne wants to avoid taking too many risks after an elbow injury. The Australian Open has already been ravaged by big-name withdrawals and more could follow.

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Tennisspieler Dominic Thiem Australien
Dominic Thiem joins a long list of pull-outs at the Australian OpenImage: John Walton/PA/picture alliance

Austria's Dominic Thiem, beaten finalist in Melbourne in 2020, has decided to skip the Australian Open starting on January 17.

He has been working his way back to full fitness after a serious elbow injury and will instead start his season at the end of January in Argentina.

"I will not play this year at the Australian Open in Melbourne, a city that I love and where I have great memories of unforgettable matches in front of amazing crowds," Thiem wrote on Twitter.

"I will miss the Australian fans but I will be back in 2023."

The 2020 US Open champion is one of a number of high-profile names to miss the first grand slam of the year.

Roger Federer is out after knee surgery with Serena Williams also absent through injury along with a raft of other stars.

Nine-time champion Novak Djokovic is yet to announce if he will attend after organizers said competitors must be fully vaccinated against coronavirus.

Rafael Nadal is a slight doubt after being among a number of top players in the men's and women's game to test positive for COVID. However, organizers say they expect the Spaniard to play.

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