(Reuters) – World number five Dominic Thiem was forced to retire from his opening match at the Mallorca Open on Tuesday, raising doubts about the Austrian’s participation at Wimbledon next week.
Playing in his first grasscourt event since his opening round defeat at Wimbledon two years ago, Thiem made a fast start against France’s Adrian Mannarino to take a 5-2 lead in the opening set.
But in the eighth game, Thiem struck a forehand and appeared to injure his right wrist. After receiving a medical timeout, the 27-year-old decided against continuing the match.
Thiem, the reigning U.S. Open champion, has struggled for form this season and arrived in Mallorca seeking momentum after a first-round exit at the French Open.
He pulled out of next month’s Tokyo Olympics concentrate on Wimbledon and defending his Grand Slam title in New York later this year.
(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)