- Top-seeded Dominic Thiem withdraws from Qatar Open due to illness
- The fifth-ranked Thiem was set to face Gael Monfils in the semi-final on Friday
- The Austrian has now turned his attention to the Australian Open on January 15
Top-seeded Dominic Thiem withdrew from his Qatar Open semi-final against Gael Monfils on Friday due to a cold and fever.
In Saturday’s final, Monfils of France will play the winner of the semi-final between Andrey Rublev of Russia and Guido Pella of Argentina.
The fifth-ranked Thiem, the only remaining seeded player in the draw, did not drop a set on the way to the semi-finals. But there were signs of illness Thursday when the Austrian coughed through his answers after winning his quarter-final.
Top-seeded Dominic Thiem withdraws from Doha Open semi-final due to cold and fever
‘I am in bed with fever and there is almost no chance of a recovery until tonight,’ Thiem wrote on Facebook.
‘Of course I am disappointed, but nevertheless I had a solid start into the new season.’
The Australian Open starts in 10 days.
‘Now I am focusing on Melbourne and being fit and prepared for the first Grand Slam of the year,’ Thiem said.
The Australian Open has already seen a list of high-profile withdrawals in the build-up to the event, as Serena Williams, Andy Murray and Jo Konta have all had to pull out with injury and fitness issues.
Kyle Edmund suffered an injury scare in his quarter-final defeat to Grigor Dimitrov at the Brisbane International and could miss the tournament.
Austria’s Thiem overcame Stefanos Tsitsipas in their quarter-final encounter on Thursday