Defending Champ Dominic Thiem out of US Open

Dominic Thiem will not defend his US Open title after picking up a wrist injury that will keep him out for the rest of the year.

The world No 6, who suffered the injury in June at the Mallorca Open and was also forced to skip Wimbledon, said on Twitter that he will miss the rest of the 2021 season.

Thiem defeated Alexander Zverev in the 2020 US Open final to win his first major title, the first time since the 2004 French Open that a player had come back from losing the first two sets in a Grand Slam final to win the title.

In his statement, Thiem explained how the injury developed and expressed his dismay at missing out on the chance to defend his crown.

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“I am really disappointed not to be able to defend the title in New York but I haven’t recovered from the wrist injury I suffered at the Mallorca Open,” Thiem said.

“The past six weeks, I’ve been following the medical advice, wearing a wrist splint, doing exercise to stay in shape before starting to train back on court. My recovery was going well but then last week I hit a ball during training and started to feel some pain.

Roger Federer will also not compete at Flushing Meadows for the final Grand Slam of the year, which runs from August 30 to September 12, after undergoing knee surgery.