Dominic Thiem will not compete at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships after his withdrawal from the tournament became official.
Last month, it was reported that Thiem would play Wimbledon with a protected ranking. This week, the Austrian's ATP ranking has plummeted to outside the world's Top 300, and he won't be getting a main draw spot in Tour-level tournaments without a PR or wild card.
Thiem had intended to establish a training block for Wimbledon after a disastrous start to the season. The former US Open champion was perturbed with a wrist injury while competing on the grass court of Mallorca last year and needed to shut down his season prematurely for treatment.
But despite making a full recovery, his best tennis has deserted him. He has not won a match in 2024 and has lost seven matches in a row, including his most recent exit at Roland Garros at the hands of Hugo Dellien.
Although he has one grass-court title in his career, Thiem has never been successful at the All England Club. He has made the second week once in six previous visits and has failed to scale the second-round stage in five appearances.
After a dismal run of form, which has affected his confidence, it was a near certainty that he would not improve on his record in SW19. Thiem's concern is that he has won just one set in seven matches, which is hardly inspiring.
Considering that grass is not his strongest surface, it's a sensible decision for Thiem to withdraw from Wimbledon and instead prepare for the brief clay-court swing of Europe in July or the hard courts of North America.
It's unclear what might have sparked this decision to pull out, but it could also be related to his wrist. Some tennis players take a longer time to rediscover their best tennis after an operation or rehab, as was the case with Juan Martin del Potro in the past.