U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem will not play at the Tokyo Olympics.
“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,” was posted on the Austrian’s social media. “However, 2021 did not start as expected and I don’t feel ready to play my best in Tokyo.”
Thiem, the world’s fifth-ranked male player, said he does plan to play Wimbledon, which starts June 28.
Earlier Thursday, world No. 3 Rafael Nadal said he will skip both Wimbledon and the Olympics.
After winning his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open last September, Thiem lost in the quarterfinals, fourth round and first round of the last three majors.
“After talking with my team and analysing the situation I have taken the very difficult decision to withdraw from competing in the Tokyo Olympics,” he posted. “I am young and I hope to be able to play for Austria at the Olympics in Paris 2024.”
Thiem was originally planning to skip the Tokyo Games. Then last November, he said he changed his mind after a schedule change resulted in a tournament in Austria no longer overlapping with the Olympics.
“It would be a dream to participate in the Olympics,” he said then.
In 2016, Thiem was the highest-ranked male singles player to skip the Rio Olympics for reasons other than injury. He prioritized a lower-level ATP event in Mexico (which he then missed due to injury).
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