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Once tennis Grand Slam champion Dominic Thiem did not receive a wildcard entry into the French Open Championship later this month.
The retired 30-year-old is a two-time finalist at Roland Garros, having lost the deciders in 2018 and 2019 to the king of clay. Rafael Nadal.
But as his current ATP world ranking swelled to 117, Thiem did not earn automatic qualification for the second Grand Slam of the year.
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That means he asked for the wildcard pick to be thrown right into the main draw, which he didn’t get.
In a statement, the French Tennis Federation confirmed that the majority of available slots will be given to domestic players.
Thiem will now have to go through qualifying, which starts on Monday, if they are to earn a bye to Paris.
“Dominic Thiem did not get a wildcard for Roland Garros” Tennis letter said.
“He’s a two-time finalist and played some really memorable games there that will live on for years to come. In his last season on tour, it just doesn’t feel right.”
Fans on social media were outraged by the decision, calling it “embarrassing”, “shameful” and “absolutely disrespectful”.
Earlier this month, news broke that the Austrian would call time on his successful tennis career at the end of this season after succumbing to a wretched string of injuries.
Thiem rose to No. 3 in the world in 2020 after reaching the final of the Australian Open the year he lost to Novak Djokovic in five sets.
He won US Open in 2020 after coming back from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev in a thrilling final.
But after reaching great heights, Thiem suffered a miserable injury run with a wrist problem in 2021 that kept him out for most of the year.
The much-loved player was never able to regain his best form and slipped down the rankings.
Just last month, Thiem said he was still struggling with his wrist problem.
“As I said in my last interview, I’m no longer a 2020 player,” he wrote on Instagram.
“I have to deal with the current situation, the fact that my wrist doesn’t give me the strength it used to.
“I have to be honest with myself. The pain is much less compared to the last few weeks, but like I said, I’m not back to full strength.
Fans were devastated by the latest news.
“You have to feel for him. He’s had a terrible time with injuries and just hasn’t been able to rediscover the magic, but he’s certainly tried. We hope his senior year will give him unforgettable moments,” said one.
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