U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem has pulled out of Wimbledon because of a right wrist injury.

The Austrian, ranked fifth in the world, sustained the injury during a second-round match against Adrian Mannarino at the ATP event in Majorca earlier this week.

A scan has now revealed a detachment of the posterior sheath of the ulnar side.

Thiem, who had already decided against competing at the Tokyo Olympics, will wear a wrist splint for five weeks.

He is now in a race against time to be fit for the defence of his first grand slam title in New York at the end of August.

“I’m going to do everything the doctors say to recover as quickly as possible.

“They’ve informed me that I might be out for several weeks but I will do my best to be back on the court soon.

“I’m really sorry for pulling out of the upcoming three tournaments I had in my calendar – Wimbledon, Hamburg and Gstaad.

“They are very important tournaments for me. I appreciate all the support from the fans in these difficult moments, and I’m determined to come back stronger,” the 27-year-old said.

Thiem is the second top-five player to pull out of Wimbledon after Rafael Nadal and his withdrawal means Alexander Zverev will be the fourth seed.

(dpa/NAN)