Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem are trying to stage a comeback with the intention of playing the Australian Open. However, that may not happen since both of them are struggling with their fitness.
Nadal out from the Australian Open?
Rafael Nadal has been dealing with that nasty foot injury that has been bothering him for a big part of his career. The Spanish sensation lost both his matches at the recent Mubadala World Tennis Championship, looking rusty.
The Spaniard was happy with his performance, but he remains unsure about his immediate future. The sensation is that Rafa will skip the first slam of the year.
Nadal revealed:
“The idea is to go there and try my best there in Australia, but I need to speak with my team.
It’s more than six months since the last real official match. Things are difficult and I accept that. I was able to compete in both matches and even had my chances, so if we put that in perspective it’s a very positive thing.
I have gone through this process a lot of times in my tennis career, but I need to practice and I need to be healthy enough to go through this process. If that happens, I’m confident that I will be back.”
Also Thiem out from Australia?
Dominic Thiem is out from the competitions since he got injured in June in Mallorca to his right wrist. Dominic did not have any surgery, but he went through a long rehabilitation. The Austrian champion was meant to play the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, but he was not fit to compete.
Eventually, Thiem revealed that he was stopped by a cold that also hampered his preparation. For this reason, Dominic will not compete in the warm-up events Down Under before the Australian Open. He is also not sure that he will play in the year’s first major.
Thiem released the following statement:
“After speaking to my team, we have decided to return to Austria, instead of flying directly to Australia. Unfortunately, I caught a cold (and tested negative for Covid-19) while in Dubai and was unable to practice last week.
I will therefore not be in the physical condition required to be able to play the ATP Cup and Sydney ATP 250.
After not competing for the last 6 months I can’t take the risk of coming back too soon and picking up a further injury. Overall, the time I spent in Dubai was great as I’ve increased the intensity and level of practice and my wrist is almost at 100%.
My aim is still to play the Australian Open but we will make a final decision about my participation by the end of December.
I’d like to take this opportunity to wish my fans, partners and media all the best for the holiday season!
Yours,
Dominic”
Rafael Nadal in 2021
Ranked no.6, Rafael played his last match on the 18th of December when he lost to world no.14 Denis Shapovalov 6-7(4) 6-3 10-6.
At present, during this year the Spaniard has achieved a 24-5 win-loss record. Nadal has won 2 titles in 2021 in Barcelona and in Rome.
Dominic Thiem in 2021
Ranked no.15, the Austrian played his last match on the 22nd of June when he had to retire when playing against world no.71 Adrian Mannarino in the 2nd round and the scoreline was 2-5 .
During this season the Austrian has a composed 9-9 win-loss record. Dominic Thiem’s most significant achievement of this year was getting to the semifinal in Madrid.
Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem fought against each other 15 times. Their record is 9-6 for Nadal. Previously, the last time they competed against each other, Dominic Thiem won 7-6(7) 7-6(4) in the round robin in London (Nitto ATP Finals) in November 2020.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem |
| Embed from Getty Images |