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Dominic Thiem Australian Open 2021

‘It comes at a great time’ – Dominic Thiem announces return to action


Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem will make his return at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi next month.

The Austrian has been sidelined since June with a wrist injury and in August the 28-year-old announced he would miss the remainder of the 2021 calendar, including Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics and his US Open title defence.

Thiem, who fell outside of the top 10 for the first time since June 2016 on Monday, will return to action at the Abu Dhabi and will join Casper Ruud, Denis Shapovalov and also Rafael Nadal, who is planning his own injury comeback.

Thiem has twice competed at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, in 2017 and 2018, placing third and fourth respectively in the six-player event.

โ€œI was keen to find the right opportunity to make my return to the court and the Mubadala World Tennis Championship comes at a great time,” said Thiem, who is a 17-time winner on the ATP Tour.

“The Championship offers the perfect environment to continue my comeback and play against the top guys on tour.”

The 2021 tournament will be the 13th edition and takes place from December 16-18 at the International Tennis Centre in Zayed Sports City, welcoming a full capacity crowd.

โ€œEveryone knows how good a player Dominic Thiem is, especially our loyal, knowledgeable Championship fans,” said John Lickrish, CEO of Flash Entertainment, the tournament owners.

“We are thrilled that he has decided to choose our Championship to make his return to tennis.

“Once again it demonstrates the appeal of playing in Abu Dhabi at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship as a great opportunity for the worldโ€™s best to benefit from top-class competitive action ahead of the new season.


Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.