Dominic Thiem suffers setback ahead of Australian Open

Dominic Thiem was set to make his on-court return this week at the Mubadala Tennis World Championships, but just before the event kicked off he withdrew. Although his wrist injury has improved significantly over the past six months, he didn't want to push too hard too fast and felt he wasn't ready to play at the highest level. But now, Thiem is facing another setback after catching a cold while in Dubai.

Thiem revealed he didn't practice for an entire week due to the cold and will be heading back to Austria instead of directly to Australia. Since he missed seven days of training he decided to pull out of both the ATP Cup and an ATP 250 event in Sydney next month.

"After speaking to my team, we have decided to return to Austria, instead of flying directly to Australia. Unfortunately, I caught a cold (and tested negative for COVID-19) while in Dubai and was unable to practice last week," he said. "I will therefore not be in the physical condition required to be able to play the ATP Cup and Sydney ATP 250.

"After not competing for the last six months I can't take the risk of coming back too soon and picking up a further injury. Overall, the time I spent in Dubai was great as I have increased the intensity and level of practice and my wrist is almost at 100 percent."

The major champion is still feeling good about his progress and his wrist is almost at 100%. The 28-year-old's goal is still to travel to Australia and return to competitive action at the Australian Open which starts on January 17. Thiem will make his final decision about his participation by the end of this month.

"I'd like to take this opportunity to wish my fans, partners and media all the best for the holiday season," Thiem wrote.

The Austrian hasn't played a tournament since suffering a season-ending wrist injury this summer in Mallorca.