“There goes my grass dreams”: Osaka, Thiem, Zverev, Bouchard withdraw from Wimbledon | Tennis.com

Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and Eugenie Bouchard will not be playing either, all citing where they are in their injury comebacks. All players from Russia and Belarus, in addition, are also banned from competing.

Thiem plans to play a clay event in Salzburg during Wimbledon, followed by ATP clay events in Gstaad, Bastad and Kitzbuhel, as he ramps up his return from wrist surgery. The 28-year-old from Austria is 0-6 in his comeback so far and No.352 in the rankings.

Speaking during a press conference in Austria, Thiem said he had also been defeated in 34 of the 35 practice sets he had played since returning, but was initially reluctant to reveal his problems. Recently, though, he’s noticed his game is improving.

“Now I’m causing damage against with my shots,” he added. “Now for the first time [since returning to tour], I can honestly say I am on the right track.

“Now I want to put a bit of pressure on myself again.”

Thiem will also be training with Russians Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov.

Zverev’s withdrawal was not a surprise, with the 23-year-old German undergoing surgery less than two weeks ago following a bad fall during the French Open.

“We received confirmation that all three lateral ligaments in my right ankle were torn,” he had said, adding that “surgery was the best choice” for a return to competition.

Zverev would have been the second seed at Wimbledon.