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Dominic Thiem gave some good news about his wrist injury on Monday, revealing that he will not require surgery for the problem.
Thiem had recently said there was a 40% chance he would need to go under the knife, which would mean going six months away from competitive action. But after taking off his splint and going through a stress test, the Austrian discovered that the wrist was stabilizing.
Thiem has been on the sidelines since June, having suffered the injury at the ATP 250 event in Mallorca.
"As you all probably know I had a very, very big day today," Dominic Thiem said in a video posted on his Twitter account. "I was in Belgium to decide if I need surgery or not. Luckily I have very good news, I won't need surgery and it's looking stable and my wrist is looking good."
Thiem also said he would be working on strengthening his wrist and returning to the practice court over the next few days.
"The next week I have to work on it, make it more flexible, to stregthen my wrist and do everything to prepare to slowly start playing tennis again, and I'm looking forward so much to that," he added.
After pulling out of Mallorca, Dominic Thiem had initially planned to skip just a couple of tournaments (including Wimbledon). But due to a slip-up in his recovery period, the 28-year-old was subsequently forced to miss the defense of his titles at the US Open and Indian Wells too.
"I don't think I would have made it through without you" - Dominic Thiem to his fans
During the course of his video message, Dominic Thiem also thanked his fans for their support during the time he has spent on the sidelines due to the wrist injury.
"It's been a pretty long time without the racket. I honestly missed it and a huge thanks to all the fans that supported me," Thiem said. "During those long months and weeks, I don't think I would have made it through without you, so a big, big thank you, and I'll see you soon on court."
Dominic Thiem will now be looking to make a big return at the 2022 Australian Open.
The Austrian had been a title contender at several Major events prior to 2021, reaching four finals and winning one over the previous three years. But a dismal start to the 2021 season - with a win-loss record of 9-9 - was made even worse by the wrist injury.
Thiem will fall to 10th in the ATP rankings after he drops 1000 ranking points from Indian Wells next week.
