Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem won’t be competing at the 2022 Cincinnati Open after withdrawing from the event.
Zverev and Thiem famously contested the 2020 US Open final, which Thiem was able to win. Zverev had a 2-0 lead in that match but still lost in five sets, and it’s very unlikely that we’ll be seeing a rematch at this year’s US Open.
There are a few reasons for that, mostly Zverev’s horrible ankle injury, which he sustained at Roland Garros. He was playing some of the best tennis he ever played but unfortunately slipped and tore a few ligaments in his ankle.
He had to leave the court on crutches, and it was known immediately that he would be out for a while. He hasn’t returned to action since then and won’t be returning at the Cincinnati Masters either.
Although he did start to practice recently, a rather remarkable outcome in itself, Zverev is nowhere near close to being ready for the ATP Masters 1000 event. He’s still unlikely to be ready for the US Open.
It’s unfortunate because he was the defending champion in Cincinnati after winning the event last year. Thiem isn’t injured, but he also won’t be playing at the event, even though that is mostly a scheduling choice.
He played lots of tennis recently on clay in Europe, competing in Bastad, Gstaad, and Kitzbuhel, and after that much tennis on clay, the Austrian likely doesn’t want to rush getting on hard courts so quickly. It’s not the easiest transition; his health is still a bit questionable, and Cincinnati hasn’t been the best place for him historically.
The courts play very quickly, which doesn’t really suit Thiem, who prefers a more balanced hard court. Coming from clay to that quick surface likely wouldn’t really achieve much for him, so that might be a reason why he chose to skip the tournament.