Dominic Thiem delays injury comeback until Indian Wells in March

Associated PressFeb 4, 2022, 5:42 AM EST

Getty Images

VIENNA — Dominic Thiem, the 2020 U.S. Open champion, has delayed his comeback because of a hurt hand and now plans to make his return at Indian Wells in March.

Thiem hasn’t played in a tournament since June because of a wrist injury and was unable to defend his title at Flushing Meadows last year. He had been planning to play at the Cordoba Open this week but was forced to pull out after feeling pain in the knuckles on his right hand.

Thiem announced that he has also withdrawn from three additional upcoming South American tournaments – in Argentina, Brazil and Chile.

“Training was going well in Vienna and I am so happy that I’ve made a full recovery regarding my wrist. Unfortunately, I have suffered this minor setback in Santiago, which has forced me to temporarily stop training,” Thiem said in a statement. “It’s never easy to come back after being away from competition for seven months. I will follow my doctor’s advice and after resting a couple of days, I will start training again next week. I need some consistent time on-court before making my comeback.”

Thiem said he will spend the next few weeks in Miami to prepare for the Indian Wells tournament, which starts March 7. The Austrian won his first Masters title at Indian Wells in 2019 by beating Roger Federer in the final.

Gael Monfils withdraws from French Open with wrist injury

Associated PressJun 1, 2023, 11:34 AM EDT

Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

PARIS — A thrilling five-set victory took a toll on Gael Monfils, whose withdrawal from the French Open handed No. 6 Holger Rune a walkover to the third round.

The 36-year-old Frenchman said he has a strained left wrist and can’t continue.

He battled Sebastian Baez for nearly four hours on Court Philippe Chatrier before beating the Argentine 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 1-6, 7-5 in a first-round match that ended at 12:18 a.m. local time.

The victory was Monfils’ first at tour level this year, as the veteran was coming back from heel surgery.

“Actually, physically, I’m quite fine. But I had the problem with my wrist that I cannot solve,” he said. “The doctor say was not good to play with that type of injury. Yesterday was actually very risky, and then today definitely say I should stop.”

Monfils reached the semifinals at the French Open in 2008 and made it to the quarterfinals on three other occasions.

Mikael Ymer fined about $40K after default for hitting umpire stand with racket

Associated PressMay 31, 2023, 3:55 PM EDT

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

PARIS — Swedish tennis player Mikael Ymer was docked about $40,000 after being disqualified for smashing his racket against the umpire’s chair at a tournament the week before he competed at the French Open.

An ATP Tour spokesman said Ymer forfeited about $10,500 in prize money and 20 rankings he earned for reaching the second round of the Lyon Open. Ymer also was handed an on-site fine of about $29,000.

The spokesman said the ATP Fines Committee will conduct a review of what happened to determine whether any additional penalties are warranted.

The 56th-ranked Ymer, who is 24 and owns a victory over current No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, was defaulted in Lyon for an outburst late in the first set against French teenager Arthur Fils last week.

Ymer was upset that the chair umpire would not check a ball mark after a shot by Fils landed near a line. As the players went to the sideline for the ensuing changeover, Ymer smacked the base of the umpire’s stand with his racket twice – destroying his equipment and damaging the chair.

That led to Ymer’s disqualification, making Fils the winner of the match.

After his 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 loss to 17th-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the first round at Roland Garros, Ymer was asked whether he wanted to explain why he reacted the way he did in Lyon.

“With all due respect, I think it’s pretty clear from the video what caused it and why I reacted the way I reacted. Not justifying it at all, of course,” Ymer replied. “But for me to sit here and to explain? I think it’s pretty clear what led me to that place. I think that’s pretty clear in the video.”