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The U.S. Open champion began the 2021 season
with one win in two matches in the ATP Cup before exiting the
year's first Grand Slam at the Australian Open in the fourth
round.
The 27-year-old Austrian's desert swing also ended in
disappointment with the top seed's defeat to South African
qualifier Lloyd Harris in his opening match in Dubai, which came
after a quarter-final exit in Doha last week.
Thiem said he would skip the ATP 1000 event on hardcourts in
Miami, starting next week, and return to the tour during the
European claycourt season.
"I used to like playing a lot when I was younger. Now I really
just need to reset myself a little bit to go fresh into the clay
season," Thiem told reporters after his 6-3 6-4 loss on Tuesday.
"Right now I am in a tough period and (it) wouldn't be right to
go to Miami. (I will) just make a little reset, regroup and
hopefully have a good clay season. That's my main goal now after
these tough weeks."
Thiem, who won his maiden Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows
last year, has struggled with a foot problem but refused to use
that as an excuse.
"For example today there was no pain at all in the foot. It's a
little bit on and off," he said. "Maybe I'll do a quick check, a
quick MRI to see how that thing is developing.
"But that's really not the main issue. Just that I am not
playing well, in general quite a tough period for me."
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; editing by Peter
Rutherford)
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