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GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – SEPTEMBER 22: Team Europe pose with the trophy after winning the Laver Cup in the final match of the tournament during Day Three of the Laver Cup 2019 at Palexpo on September 22, 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Laver Cup will see six players from the rest of the World competing against their counterparts from Europe. Team World is captained by John McEnroe and Team Europe is captained by Bjorn Borg. The tournament runs from September 20-22. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup )
via Getty
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – SEPTEMBER 22: Team Europe pose with the trophy after winning the Laver Cup in the final match of the tournament during Day Three of the Laver Cup 2019 at Palexpo on September 22, 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Laver Cup will see six players from the rest of the World competing against their counterparts from Europe. Team World is captained by John McEnroe and Team Europe is captained by Bjorn Borg. The tournament runs from September 20-22. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup )
Since turning pro in 2011, Dominic Thiem established himself as one of the top players on the ATP Tour. In fact, he shared some intense and high-quality battles with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, two-thirds of the famed ‘Big 3’.
When he represented Team Europe in the Laver Cup, the Austrian had Federer and Nadal as his teammates. And now, the three of them share another common point between them: neither will take part in the rest of the 2021 season.
Earlier today, Thiem shared a story on Instagram which had a photo of all three players at the Laver Cup.
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Dominic Thiem shares photo with Federer and Nadal on Instagram
Earlier this year, Thiem suffered a wrist injury which ruled him out for Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics. However, the current World No. 6 revealed he will miss the rest of 2021.
Like Thiem, Nadal announced earlier today that he will be out of action for the same duration owing to a foot injury he hasn’t fully recover from. Federer revealed earlier this week that he needed knee surgery in order to attempt a comeback to Tennis altogether.
While all three players won the US Open at least once, they were teammates in two out of three editions of the Laver Cup. Representing Team Europe, Thiem won both editions he played in along with Federer and Nadal.
With the trio now out for the 2021 season, the Austrian shared a picture posted by the official Instagram handle of the ATP. The caption for the picture read, “They’ll be missed, but they’ll be back.”
While they sit out for this season, fans across the world will now have to wait till 2022 to see these three back on the court.
READ MORE: How Did Dominic Thiem Become an Elite Clay-Courter?
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Thiem’s withdrawal from the US Open guarantees a new champion in 2021
Thiem won the 2020 US Open by defeating Alexander Zverev in a thrilling final. However, his withdrawal means a new champion will be crowned in Flushing Meadows.
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Dominic Thiem of Austria reacts in the third set during his Men’s Singles final match against and Alexander Zverev of Germany on Day Fourteen of the 2020 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 13, 2020 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
This opens the door for World No. 1 Novak Djokovic to clinch a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam. However, the Serb will face stiff competition from players like Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
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