‘I don’t feel ready to play my best in Tokyo’ – Dominic Thiem withdraws from Olympics

Dominic Thiem has announced that he will play Wimbledon and the US Open but will not compete at the Tokyo Olympics.

It comes on a day of withdrawals in the world of tennis, after Rafael Nadal announced he will also not play the Olympics and more surprisingly he will miss Wimbledon too.

Meanwhile Naomi Osaka has announced her withdrawal from Wimbledon but has confirmed that she will play the Olympics in her home country.

Thiem has had a difficult season so far after winning his maiden Grand Slam late 2020. He has admitted to struggling with motivation and his lack of form has led to early exits in the French Open, Rome Masters, Lyon, Dubai and Doha.

After winning the US Open, expectations were high for the Austrian but other than a semi-final place at Madrid Masters, he has failed to deliver on his potential.

Now the world number five has announced on social media that he has taken the decision not to play the Olympics this year.

“I have some sad news to share with you all,” Thiem said in the statement.

“After talking with my team and analysing the situation I have taken the very difficult decision to withdraw from competing in 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. However, 2021 did not start as expected and I don’t feel ready to play my best in Tokyo.”

Thiem went on to confirm his appearance at Wimbledon, his hopes to defend the US Open title and said he’s been improving his focus.

“These last two weeks I have been training hard – and I’m starting to improve my conditioning and concentration little by little.

“My goal is to work hard the coming weeks, give my best at Wimbledon and keep training and hopefully defend my US Open title.

“I wish the entire Austrian team traveling to Tokyo all the best. I am young and I hope to be able to play for Austria at the Olympics in Paris 2024,” Thiem concluded.